Size Matters
by TheAlchemist'sDaughter
Summary: No longer a one-shot! S/M, Sano is a hooker, who gets picked up by the richest, and the coldest, customer of his career. But he doesn't turn her down, of course!
1. Satisfactory

**Author's Note: **I've decided I'm going to turn this into more than a one-shot. This means I have split it into its original two chapters, with previously unseen content at the end of Chapter 2. Enjoy.

Chapter 1

Sano glanced down the long boulevard again, making sure there weren't any customers. The sky was crawling the streets that night in Japan's own twinkle town, making the world solid black, while covered in starry lights. Shop lights, neon lights, headlights, no street lights, but most importantly, red lights. The only thing that allowed people to see where they were going was the reflections on the slimy ground. This was where fun was sold by mere mortals to the shooting stars, the important people who lived uptown.

Sano kept his hands in the pockets of his skin-tight jeans, his loose shirt lifting in the breeze from a passing car. It wasn't too bad tonight, he'd been colder than that in his life. His colleagues paced their territories on either side of him, for as far as the eye could see. He fidgeted against the smashed lamp-post he was leaning on. It was a good spot.

He looked up at the sound of familiar footsteps.

"Oh, hey, Ken. Turning any tricks tonight?" he said amicably to his friend, who sometimes sold private shows if money was tight.

"No, though that girl was there again. She gave me her number." He rummaged in his black jeans and pulled out a serviette with a phone number on it written in what looked like eyeliner, next to a big red kiss and the words "Call me, - K."

"Hey, that's cool. You gonna call her?"

"I don't think so. She's too fancy for me. I don't think she really knows what she's doing," he said, looking the napkin over again.

"Ah, yeah, I get it, man. But you know she's gonna keep coming to the club. Who's is it for, anyway? Rurouni or Battousai?"

"Rurouni," he answered, indicating his tight violet vest that left nothing concerning his muscle tone to the imagination. Kenshin was short, but he wasn't chunky, and his toned physique and long red hair made him a major hit with the ladies. At the moment he was headlining in a club nearby called 'Cupid's Arrow,' but he could have named his price at any joint in town. His act, alternating between the heroic gentleman figure, whose stage name was 'Rurouni,' and the dangerous bad boy 'Battousai,' meant there was something for everyone.

He could do the work of two strippers, and could pack a club on a good night. He wore coloured contacts to match his act, and even Sano wasn't sure whether it was the purple or the amber that was his real eye colour. Hell, he didn't even know if his hair was really red. He didn't think it could be really, not that true scarlet, but on the other hand, he'd never known Kenshin to really bother with his hair.

Like everyone else, Kenshin had his regulars, one of whom was trying very hard to get his attention. 'K' had attended every single one of the Rurouni's performances for the past few months.

"She doesn't seem to like Battousai very much. But either way, I don't date customers," finished Kenshin, decisively stuffing the napkin back in his pocket.

"You don't date anyone," added Sano.

"True, but if I did, she wouldn't be a customer."

"Why not? When they're slipping hundreds in your underwear, you know for sure they like you."

Kenshin laughed. "Be that as it may, Sano, I'm still not going to call her. It would be... unprofessional. Besides, since when did you become the expert on relationships?"

An arrogant grin spread lazily across Sano's face, and a familiar twinkle came into his eyes. "I am God's gift to women, Kenshin, you know that."

"Oh, of course, how could I forget?" said Kenshin, indulging in the old joke that still made him smile. But it was true, the only thing that kept Sano solvent enough to be able to be selective in his clientele was his apparently innate ability to be, unfailingly, the best sex of a woman's life. His regulars sometimes found they even had to make appointments.

"Speaking of..." Kenshin nodded over his friend's shoulder, or rather around it, as he didn't quite reach that high. Sano glanced behind him to see a shiny silver BMW slide in next to the pavement.

"Hmm, what do you think?" Sano asked his friend, who had an uncanny ability to read people, which came in useful in the prostitution bizz. Kenshin considered the car.

"A woman, in her early to mid-thirties, very much in control of her life, and she bought that car with her own money, somehting she's proud of," was his analysis.

"How the hell can you tell all that just by looking? The windows are even tinted," said Sano, determined to one day discover the trick.

Kenshin just winked and said "Ancient trade secret."

"You creep me out sometimes, man," said Sano earnestly. "Well, wouldn't want to keep the lady waiting. Let's see if you're right. Oh, and, you know the drill."

The 'drill' was memorizing license plates and anything else to tell the police if Sano didn't came back.

Sano approached the BMW and the blackened window rolled smoothly down on the passenger side. Resting one arm on the roof of the car, he leant down and smiled at the driver, who was indeed a woman who looked to be a little over thirty. But more than that, she was beautiful, so Sano was instantly suspicious. She shouldn't be needing to buy it.

"Hey, Kitsune, anything I can help you with?" he said.

"That depends," she replied in a smooth, confident voice. "How tall are you?"

Sano jerked back a little in surprise. He'd been at the game for a few years now, but he'd never been asked that before.

"How tall do you want me to be?" He hadn't meant to give the standard form of reply to a personal question that was ingrained in all pros on the job, but it just slipped out.

"Don't play games. Why don't you get in and we can talk?"

She seemed to be reluctant to look him in the eye. She must be a newbie. Her direct manner unsettled him though, she wasn't trying to flirt with him or anything, she spoke more like a lawyer. He thought she might be a cop, but no pig would drive a car like that Besides, there was only one cop who walked this beat, and the Wolf always walked.

Sano considered her offer, and decided he could handle himself well enough to risk getting in the car. It was a sports vehicle anyway, built for breaking speed limits, with no back seats for anyone to hide in. He closed the door behind him, reassured by the window that was still open.

"So, why d'you wanna know how tall I am, anyhow?" he said. She was able to look at him now that they were enclosed together, and her eyes were just as direct as her voice.

"Just answer the question," she said. Sano couldn't see what the right answer was, so he just shrugged and told the truth.

"I'm six-three," he said. The woman smiled.

"That'll do," she said, and she seemed genuinely pleased.

"Well, alrighty then, said Sano, confused but accepting. "It's two-fifty for the first hour and two hundred for every hour after that," he stated, with the air of someone repeating something that had been said many times before.

"Not so fast. How old are you?" she asked.

"What? Woman, what does it matter?" Her questions were starting to annoy him.

"I'm not interested in jailbait," she answered, her eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"Jesus Christ, do I look that young?" he said indignantly. "I'm twenty-five."

She snorted, "Yeah right, and I'm sixteen," she said. "Now tell me the truth or get out of my car."

"I'm gonna be twenty-three this year," he said, offended and a little sulky.

"So you're twenty-two then. Can you prove it?"

"Oh my God! For a woman buying tail off a street corner, you sure are picky! Well, here, look!" He had dug out his wallet and thrust his driver's license under her nose. She took it and examined it more closely.

"Sanosuke Sagara..." she read.

"Call me Zanza,"

"No. It says here you're six-two, you lied," she said accusingly.

"No, I grew." He folded his arms over his bare chest challengingly. This meeting was not going how his meeting's usually went, and he was out of his comfort zone. She was forcing him to treat her as if she wasn't a customer, and he was kind of afraid his big mouth was going to sour the deal. The woman nodded slowly, finishing her scan of his card and handing it back to him.

"So, what're looking for anyway? I don't believe a woman like you can't get a regular guy for free, you gotta have some kinda kink," asked Sano.

"Kink?" she sounded bitter, and her hands tightened on the steering wheel, as she looked away from him. "I wouldn't call it a _kink_. I'm six foot and half an inch. I only know two men who are taller than me, one of whom is so obnoxious he makes me fantasise about hurting him, and the other cries when he comes and has hands like rubber gloves. I just want a proper fuck from a man who doesn't have to stand on a chair to do it."

For some reason, Sano was surprised to hear this woman swear so casually in her refined voice. He laughed, "That's it?" he said.

"That's it. So what do you say?"

"Fine by me, I'll be the best lay of your life, and that's a guarantee," he said, recovering some of his hustler charm.

"I don't need a guarantee, I need an orgasm," she said, and she started the car.

They drove in silence for a while, Sano appreciating the muffled hum of the expensive car and the leather upholstery. She was definitely going to be his richest customer. Nevertheless, he made sure to watch where they were going in case he needed to find his way back. He started to notice a better class of neighbourhood, and asked her where they were headed, anyway?

"My apartment," was her curt reply.

"Hmm," Sano nodded. "So, since you know my name, do I get to know yours?" He smiled smoothly at her.

"No."

Sano found himself wanting to step up his game with this woman who was acting so coolly towards him, as if she was immune to his charm. It annoyed and intrigued him at the same time. But he didn't say anything, choosing to wait until they were in her bedroom to make her appreciate him fully. He checked the clock on the dashboard to remember later when it came to getting paid.

They pulled up in front of an amazing apartment block that must cost thousands and thousands to live in, and turned down a small alley beside it that led down to an underground parking lot. Sano did not miss the woman checking where the security cameras were pointing as she led him to the service elevator.

Sano was even impressed by the corridor, a mix of gold light, white paint, and fluffy, pinkish carpet. His customer unlocked a door and he followed her into a flat that was bigger than some houses he'd seen. The decoration was mostly in the architecture, and it all looked very clean and comfortable, though it had the air of having just been unwrapped.

"Whoa. Big place," he said, a little in awe.

"Yeah," she said, "Don't steal anything."

He was a little offended but shrugged it off. She was a bitch, but that was okay. He heard the door lock behind him, which he could understand, but for the first time it occurred to him that the woman might be only bait, and that she might have some giant, beefy boyfriend hiding in the bedroom. Well, they'd get a surprise. Sanosuke Sagara knew how to take care of himself.

The woman walked away from him, leaving the door open for him to follow her into the bedroom.

"Go take a shower," she said, indicating the door to the bathroom as she began to take off her jewellery. "And be quick,"

Sano shrugged, "You're paying for it," he said, but he was careful to check the room was empty before shutting the door behind him. He decided maybe the plan was that she would join him, which was fine by him. He peeled off his jeans and kicked off his shoes, and dumped them in a pile along with the white 'bad' shirt he always wore open over a naked torso. He removed his headband last, laying it carefully next to the sink.

Afterwards, once he decided he was clean enough for anybody's tastes and that she really wasn't going to sneak in with him, he dried himself off with one of several fluffy white towels. He'd kept his hair dry, not being bothered to do anything with it. He was going to get dressed, when he realised the pointlessness of it, so he left the bathroom naked. Sano was very confident about his body.

He found the woman dressed in a silk dressing gown that looked imported and expensive, having taken her make up off as well. Her eyes dragged down his body, one eyebrow arching appreciatively, and he saw the first stirrings of heated lust in her eyes. Ah, familiar territory at last.

o0o

It seems he had guessed right when he pressed her down when she had attempted to be on top. He'd theorised that if it was so important that the man be taller than her, then some part of her wanted to be dominated. Another satisfied customer, and his perfect record of being a woman's best lover was left unbroken. He had the nail marks to prove it.

He couldn't deny that he'd gotten a kind of smug satisfaction from making the woman scream out the nickname, Zanza, that she'd formerly refused to use. He'd been holding her back from what she wanted until she did. But lying next to her now, there didn't seem to be any hard feelings. She'd enjoyed being forced to do it. Sano had predicted this reaction with the help of Kenshin's analysis. If the woman was so in control of her own life, with her direct, no-nonsense way of talking, it made sense that deep down she wanted someone else to take the lead for once. Sano didn't know Freud, but he knew women.

But he knew better than to push her now. She was back in control, he could tell. The covers had been gradually pushed off the bed, so they both lay quite naked, and the woman stretched out her long body, arms above her head, just as unembarrassed as Sano was.

"You do a good job, I'll give you that," she said, with a little contented moan. Sano chuckled, but his eyes were drifting closed. Nature's sedative was beginning to work on him, and her large bed was so comfortable.

"Hey, I'm not paying you to sleep, Rooster-head," she said indignantly, poking him in the side with her foot.

"The sleeping's free," he replied, his words muffled from his face being pressed in the pillow as he lay on his front.

"Hn. Well," She had a sudden idea as she realized who would be paying her his customary visit in the morning. "I suppose you can spend the night. I leave for work at six thirty, so you have to be out of here by then," she said.

"No problem," he said, ready to agree to almost anything that meant he wouldn't have to move.

"And if it means I get in some ogling, I'm not complaining," she added.

"Ogling costs," said Sano, not failing to take advantage of an opportunity to make more money, especially if he could earn it in his sleep.

"In that case, you can go home," said the customer sharply, forcing Sano to mumble his half-hearted submission. Silence followed, and he felt her lie down next to him, and the light went out.


	2. More Than Enough

Chapter 2

Megumi woke up before the man in her bed did. What a great big lazy lout he was. Fantastic sex though. Just what she'd needed. It hadn't been the plan to still have him here in the morning, but she'd realised he could still do her one more favour.

He'd rolled over in his sleep and was holding onto her. "Spooning," wasn't that what they called it? How childish. Her feminist feelings that urged her to be strong and independent disapproved, telling her it was chauvinistic and patronising. But another side of her rationalised that he was only doing it in his sleep, he hadn't meant to do it, therefore it was quite harmless. He was also wonderfully warm, and still naked, and never let it be said that Megumi didn't appreciate a naked man.

If he was hot, which this one was.

Some perverse side of her liked his dirty tan (natural, no tan-lines, she noticed) and his scruffy hair. She appreciated his easy-going nature. But most of all, she loved that she couldn't feel cold feet against her calves. He was one long expanse of hunk alright, and he was in proportion, and you know what that means. She wondered if he was the type to stretch when he woke up. If so,she would definitely have to be there to see that.

And, given that he had done it accidentally, the way he was holding her was kind of... endearing. It was nice, and she allowed herself the guilty pleasure of forsaking decades of feminist indoctrination for a few moments before slipping out of his arms to get ready for work. The rooster-head hadn't even stirred at the sound of her alarm. She wondered whether she would be picking him up again as she showered, without coming to a conclusion. She would if she felt like it.

It was empowering, hiring a prostitute. It was booty on demand, when and where she wanted it. She was a 21st century woman in control of her sexuality. And now all she had to do was shirk the ex.

She could time Takeda to the Greenwich meridian. that had been one of the things that had attracted her to him when they had first started dating, and she still respected that in him. And it certainly made avoiding him easier. Exactly on cue, her doorbell rang.

She answered it in her towel, being sure to look guilty in that just-had-sex-with-someone-other-than-you way. Her disgusting, odious ex-boyfriend Takeda Kanryu, looking like the skinny beetle you find and, without knowing exactly what it is, know you don't want it anywhere near you. His glasses just added to the effect.

"Still stalking me, Takeda?" she said scathingly.

"Ah, Megumi, you look lovely today. Glowing." It was obvious he suspected. She smirked at him.

"Yes, well, you have another man to thank for that."

Anger flashed cold and furious behind his eyes, but his face hardly changed at all. "I see. And is he still here, this _beau_? I would quite like to meet him," he said, with forced politeness.

Megumi smiled back acidically, and let him in. She led him briskly to the bedroom, to which she opened the door enough for him to see Sano sprawled across her crumpled white sheets, then pulled it closed again.

"So you see, I am quite over you, and there really is nothing to gain by continuing to hound me in this way," she said. It's funny how she affected such airs when talking to people she hated.

"Yes, I quite see that. You have succeeded in making me the fool, Megumi. I won't bother you again," he said, and allowed himself to be ushered to the door. Just before she shut him out however, Megumi couldn't resist getting in one last parting shot.

"What really drew me to him was his size. He's bigger than you are, you know," she said casually while letting him see the sparkle in her eyes than made the meaning behind her words crystal clear. "Six foot three," she finished, and locked him out. Then she turned on her heel, feeling very smug and self-satisfied, and walked to her bedroom to get dressed with a definite spring in her step.

She had just finished hooking up her bra when she heard the man behind her, "Zanza," as she'd learned last night that he liked to be called, take a deep breath through his nose as he woke up. She turned around just in time to see him stretching, extended as if he was being pulled on a rack, arms above his head and even his toes pointed. Her jaw almost hit the floor. Every muscle was defined and displayed, and he was actually an inch or two longer than her very large bed.

Then he seemed to collapse back into mortal proportions, though he hardly seemed to lose any of his impressive height. His large brown eyes fell on her.

"Hey, Kitsune," he said sleepily. "What's kickin'?" That seemed to be his idea of 'Good morning' instead of an actual question that expected an answer.

"I'm going to work, so get dressed," she said. He nodded, and ran his fingers through his hair. Then he grinned, remembering last night. Good sex cuts both ways.

"Payday," he said cheerfully, without sounding like he was reminding her or chasing her up.

"The money'll be in the kitchen when you're done," she said, putting on her earrings in front of the mirror. She kept her eyes on his reflection, and he seemed to be looking at her expectantly, then mischievously.

"You're waiting for me to get out of the bed so you can see me naked again, aren't you?" he accused.

"I am not!" Megumi replied, scandalised, while she realised that that was exactly what was keeping her in the bedroom. He laughed.

"Sure, whatever you say. Did you enjoy your ogling last night?" he asked congenially.

"Actually, I didn't get that much in, you kind of pinned me pretty quick," she answered, engaging in his small talk. He laughed again.

"Oh, yeah, sorry. I guess I should have warned you, I have a tendency to do that," he said. The conversation stilled, and he seemed to rouse himself enough to start the day.

"Okay, I'm gonna be getting up now. You watching? I'm gonna start pulling back the sheets...You sure you're watching? Okay, one two, three!"

He stood up, keeping his eyes on her in the mirror.

"You're being childish," Megumi scolded.

"Ha! I totally saw that, don't think I missed that little glance there," he cheered triumphantly. Megumi fought down a smile and a blush, settling instead for a frown, as she couldn't deny it.

"Aw, hey, don't feel bad about it, I don't blame you. You're not the first to be stricken by this godly physique. I mean, I get it, I'm a prime specimen of the human male..." He kept congratulating himself as he walked to the bathroom to take a shower with the door open so that she could still hear him. Megumi shook her head, and allowed herself a little smile.

When he came out of the bedroom, dressed, Megumi set a plate of toast and eggs in front of an empty chair for him.

"What? Bed _and_ breakfast?" he said, sounding genuinely surprised and grateful. Megumi shrugged,

"It's as easy to cook for two people as it is for one," she said, leaning against the counter as she ate quickly, washing it down with a glass of orange juice. She dusted off her hands and laid her plate in the sink, then went to her purse to get his money as Sano tucked in.

She lay it next to him on the table, and he counted it, then looked at her askance. Swallowing his mouthful of toast, he said hesitantly,

"Um, I'm probably gonna kick myself for this later when the landlord comes around, but you kind of over-estimated here," he said. She looked over her shoulder at the wad of bills in his hands, and shrugged.

"Consider it a tip," she said non-chalantly.

"Gee, I would, but it's like a hundred bucks," he replied, wincing as if expecting a bad reaction from her. She just turned away again,

"Eh, I can afford it. I'm in a good mood today," she said. Sano seemed to accept this explanation, if a bit reluctantly, but then he just grinned again, and said,

"I have that effect on people, especially women. I don't know why... Must be the sex." He stuffed his fee in his pocket and finished his meal.

"So who was that guy earlier?" he asked afterwards. Megumi paused.

"What guy?"

"The guy that was in here before, when you looked in the bedroom," he said. Megumi hesitated, ashamed.

"That was my ex," she said finally.

"I figured it was something like that. Hey, it's alright, I don't mind. It's not the first time I've been the I'm-over-you guy. It's kinda reassuring even, it makes you picking me up make some kind of sense," he said coolly.

"What do you mean?" asked Megumi.

"Well, like I said last night, you don't look like the kinda woman who needs to pay for it. But then you came out with the tall thing, which I'm still not sure I buy, by the way, and now the possessive ex, it just makes it easier to swallow, if you'll pardon the expression."

She pulled a face as questions about the origins of that expression came to mind, and simply replied, "Right."

She took his empty plate away and he stood up. Soon enough he was in the doorway, assuring her he could find his own way back.

"Though I may not know your name," he said, "You're the nicest jane I ever had, even if you are the craziest."

He shook her hand and started walking away down the corridor. He didn't get far before he tipped his head up and called to her,

"Stop staring at my ass." Megumi scowled at him and shut the door, hearing his laugh fade away on the other side.

He walked to a more down-at-heel neighbourhood to take a bus back to where he lived. He opened the door to his crummy apartment, slamming his weight into the door with a practiced turn of the key. It was such a piece of shit that only he could get it open, an advantage as it kept out thieves, not that he had anything worth stealing.

The furniture was dirty, decrepit and sparse, but it was home. He didn't need much. He did, however, need a phone, and an answering machine, which he immediately checked, as was his routine. A client hoping to arrange a meeting, a man he met down at the gambling house hoping for his money. He pulled out the money the Kitsune had given him and resolved to pay his bills.

It was too early to call Kenshin, who'd probably still be sleeping off the night's work, so he pulled out his bottle of brown liquor and took a swig, wandering over to see if the TV felt like working. A little gentle coaxing and he had it putting out, just like his high school girlfriends. He realized too late that the noise would bring the landlord, and he thereby quickly lost over half of the night's earnings. But it was satisfying to see the look on the old man's face when he actually got paid for once.

Moving about the Crapshack, as he'd come to call his little flat, he couldn't help but contrast it to the luxury of the Kitsune's high-rise dream bit. The 'Shack was home, but it wasn't what he wanted in life. He was a simple man, with simple aspirations, who believed it didn't do to think too much about things. All he wanted in life was money. His dream was to be able to walk down the street, see something in a shop window, and just buy it on impulse. To be able to hand over his rent whenever the landlord wanted it, without the half-baked excuses or the threats of eviction. And maybe even, but this was pushing it, be the one to lend _other_ people money.

But these thoughts didn't make him morose, not when the only food in the place was a half-empty bottle of rum. _Que sera, sera_, was his motto, whatever that meant.

Later on, he had Kenshin over. They quite often met up in the day to discuss the previous night's adventures. The smaller man was lying sideways, sprawled across Sano's heap of armchair remains.

"_And then_, on top of letting me spend the night, and take two showers, she actually makes me breakfast! I tell you, the woman's not right. Somebody's gotta tell her she don't have to treat me like her boyfriend, or one day someone's gonna take advantage of her. But on the other hand, the way she talks to me, I wouldn't want to be her boyfriend. You should've heard her, Ken-man, it was like the Spanish Inquisition or something," he said, using his most familiar nickname for the redhead, a parody of the more respectful 'Ken-san' that he'd heard somebody call him once a long time ago. "The woman's like ice, but she's a demon in the sack." He seemed to get lost in his thoughts for a moment, then he roused himself quickly.

"But anyway, that's not even the best bit! She gives me a tip, right? I know, I know," he added at his friend's raised eyebrows, waving his hand, "Let me finish. She gives me a tip, and guess how much it was for. Just guess. I'll give you a clue, it's more than enough to do my laundry on for a year. One hundred dollars, man! One _hundred _big ones!" He pulled the cash out of his pocket as if feeling the need for tangible evidence. "The woman's crazy," he repeated.

"She sounds like a real Richard Gere," agreed Kenshin, referring to the film 'Pretty Woman.'

"Heh, yeah, I guess. Don't know if I'd match Julia Roberts in a miniskirt though," he laughed, but there seemed to be something else behind it, that Kenshin did not miss.

"I don't have to tell you not to come to depend on her, do I? I mean, you know better than to get... attached?" he said.

"What? Oh, yeah, totally. You don't have to tell _me_. God, how long do you think I've been doing this?" Sano pulled a face and waved it off like it was a ridiculous idea, but Kenshin thought he sensed a little insincerity.


	3. Showtime

**Author's Note:** This chapter is more graphic than the previous ones, so be warned. This is what caused the rating to jack up. Hope you like it, etc etc.

Chapter 3

It was two weeks before Sano saw her again, and the set-up was basically the same, though he didn't get such a phenomenal tip. After that, she picked him up every Tuesday. They became increasingly comfortable with each other, and began branching out in their sexual practices. It became something of a moral dilemma for Sano, he felt _he_ should be paying _her_ for some of the things they did together.

Then, one night, as they lay next to each other trying to get their breath back, she asked him for something unusual.

"I have a favour to ask," she said. "Well, I'm not sure you could call it a favour since I'd be paying for it, but I need you for something other than sex," she continued. Sano was immediately on guard. He didn't like committing himself to anything, and what kind of favour would she need a prostitute for?

"Uh-huh..." prompted Sano, nervous.

"I have this... thing to go to on Friday night, and I think it would make a better impression if I turned up with a date," she said. Sano gawped at her.

"You want me to be your date? Where to?" he asked, kind of relieved. He was already smiling, liking the idea. Megumi shook her head as if the name was too tedious to think about.

"It's some gala fundraiser thing for work. Will you do it?" she asked.

Sano made a big show of thinking about it. "I dunno, I'd have to disappoint some people…" he mused aloud.

Megumi rolled her eyes, "I'll pay overtime if that's what you're after," she said.

"Sure, I guess, sounds fun," he answered after a moment more's consideration..

"Good. Meet me at seven in the usual place. I'll have your tuxedo ready here. We have to be there at eight."

"Woah, woah, you never said anything about a tuxedo!" said Sano, appalled.

"Are you backing out? It'll be a good six hundred dollars for you, with the distinct possibility of more," said Megumi.

Sano thought about the money, and the fact that this will probably be the only chance he'll ever get to go to anything so fancy.

"Fine," he said, "But it's your funeral."

"Good." She was satisfied now that things were settled, and she rolled off the bed to put on some clothes.

"Hey, Kitsune," asked Sano after a moment's quiet, "If I'm gonna be your date, shouldn't I know your name?"

Megumi hesitated for a long time, and when Sano saw how reluctant she was to tell him her real name, something she'd withheld for the past several weeks, Sano relented.

"Or not. I can just call you 'Baby,'" he said with a grin. Predictably, her feminist ideals made this option impossible, so she grudgingly said,

"It's Megumi." She reasoned that he still didn't know what exactly it was that she did for a living, so he might not realise there was even any point in blackmailing her, if he even could with only her first name.

"Hmm, Megumi, I kinda like it. _Megumi_."

She ignored him. "I trust I don't have to tell you that no one can know what you do," she said.

"Of course, Megumi," he said. "Ooh! Can I tell people I'm a secret agent?" he suggested, excited like a little kid.

"A secret agent wouldn't tell people he's a secret agent," said Megumi, rolling her eyes.

"Hmm, I guess you're right," considered Sano, deflating a little. "How about a street fighter then? Muy Thai boxer?"

"I don't think so. How about an artist? They'll love that," she suggested.

"An artist?" whined Sano.

"Yeah, an artist. A sculptor, maybe,"

"Fine," conceded Sano, sounding like she'd just told him he can't have ice-cream until he's finished his vegetables.

When Sano got home, he spent the day telling Kenshin all about Megumi's plan, and he realised he was actually pretty nervous.

"Relax, Sano. Just smile, and remember to chew with your mouth shut. Or maybe you should just try not to eat. And stay away from the booze too, it'll make you seem mysterious," advised Kenshin, who had always had an air of refinement and education. "She probably won't expect you to dance, or make intelligent conversation. I mean, no offence or anything, but you're probably just arm candy," he said.

Sano wasn't convinced, and sat biting his nails.

Friday evening, Megumi picked him up as usual, and they were both feeling a little nervous now. He put on the tuxedo at her place, and it fit surprisingly well, while she dressed in the bedroom. When he came out, and they saw each other, they both felt that the nerves were worth it. Sano's scruffy hair went with the suit in perfect contrast, making him seem debonair and handsome, yet casual and sexy. Megumi was reconsidering the decision she'd made not to do him tonight.

As for Megumi, when Sano saw her, he forgot that she wasn't his. She was wearing a beautiful, flowing black ball gown with little twinkles on it. She was a complete knock out, guaranteed to be the most beautiful woman in the room, at least in his opinion.

"You look… good," said Megumi, awkwardly.

"I was thinking the same thing. About you, I mean," was Sano's equally awkward reply.

"Thanks."

She turned back to her vanity and put the finishing touch to her outfit, a large diamond necklace, with the stones set into black metal. She grabbed a black fur wrap off the bed.

"Shall we?" she said, gesturing for Sano to lead the way. He offered her his arm.

"Might as well,"

The car Megumi had rented for the occasion was even fancier than the car Sano was used to being picked up in. Other than commenting on the splendour of it all, the couple didn't speak much as they were driven smoothly through the city streets to the location. The car was slowly filling with Megumi's attractive perfume, and Sano had never felt more like an impostor in his entire life. The woman he was with was evidently even more out of his league than he had realised, she looked like she should be the wife of a rich ambassador or distant prince. Instead she was going to be walking in with him, a high-school drop-out gentleman of the night. At least in her bedroom back at her place, he knew what his role was. If there was one thing Sano knew how to do, it was seduce women. But here, now, he felt small and dirty and off-balance.

The car came to a stop and Megumi touched his hand, and smiled at him when he looked at her. He suddenly felt a lot better.

"We're here," she said. The driver got out of the car to open her door. She looked out at what Sano recognised as the city's main museum. Golden floodlights lit up the marble steps leading up to the open doors behind tall columns. Cameras clicked and flashed into the car as photographers tried to get a picture of her.

"Oh God," he heard her mutter under her breath. She turned back to him again. "I'm glad you came with me tonight, Zanza," she said, giving him another smile and squeezing his hand again.

Before he could reply, she had ducked out of the car and into the throng, leaving Sano to follow. There was even a red carpet.

He caught up to her, unnerved. "You didn't tell me there'd be photographers," he said in her ear.

"It's just the society pages and a few journals. No one will see, don't worry," she replied, keeping her jaw locked tight as she smiled at the cameras, making her way impatiently up the steps.

He grabbed her arm and pulled her back against his chest.

"Who _are _you?" he all but growled. The smile slipped from her face.

"No one important," she said, averting her eyes.

"Why do I get the feeling you're lying to me?" he continued sarcastically, recognising that it was futile to press her.

She pulled away from him and said in a low voice so that the photographers wouldn't hear, "I'm not paying you to sulk, Sano."

Sano was surprised by how much the mention of the money involved hurt him and he let her go, following after her once she got a few steps ahead of him.

Once inside the cool, quiet lobby, Megumi was almost instantly accosted by a man who kissed her cheek and shook her hand at the same time.

"Thank God you're here, I was about ready to drown myself in the punch bowl. Oh, who's this?" he asked, catching sight of Sano. He cocked his hips and raised an eyebrow.

"This is my date, he's an artist," replied Megumi, bringing Sano closer.

"Zanza," said Sano, introducing himself with the airs of a self-important sculptor. He was using his street name, hoping only having one name would add to the image, like Cher. He shook the man's hand and noted that it was particularly slack-wristed.

"Charmed," replied the man slowly, considering Sano. Then he looked at Megumi. "Your date?" When Megumi nodded, he looked pained. "You have to show me where you find them!" he exclaimed.

The couple laughed nervously and didn't answer, choosing instead to follow the man through into the main room. It was huge, covered in marble, with chandeliers dangling from the ceiling. There was a hum of conversation, while most people Sano could see were drinking golden champagne from crystal flutes.

The next hour or so was spent repeatedly introducing Sano to all the different people who came over to greet Megumi before insisting they had to "mingle," and drifting off again. Everyone there was pretending to be overly-pleased to see them, and their airs were beginning to wear on Sano. No real conversation was taking place so Sano couldn't yet figure out what Megumi did for a living that brought her here, but he kept listening. So far he had only managed to deduce that she ran a business of some sort.

Sano had kept to Kenshin's advice and held back on the alcohol, accepting only a couple of glasses to sip on, which wouldn't affect him at all, given his naturally high tolerance for it. Megumi, on the other hand, was really putting it away, gulping it increasingly desperately as more and more of her simpering co-workers fawned over her and each other. Sano could understand it. To make the evening more tolerable, he had begun elaborating on his cover story. He was now the favourite sculptor of European royal families, which was why they had never heard of him before, and he only used materials he had farmed himself for his art, which meant he was also an accomplished free-diver and mountain climber.

Megumi let him get on with it, holding his hand and smiling in admiration with each new eccentricity he came out with. By the end of the night, he had "sold" more than one of his imaginary creations.

The dinner part of the evening was better and worse than the cocktails preceding it. It was better because there was food, which also helped to distract from the people around you, but it was worse because you couldn't escape. It didn't take long before Megumi was fidgeting in her seat and replying with increasingly monosyllabic answers. Finally, in between the main course and dessert, she leant over and whispered in Sano's ear,

"Meet me in the bathroom."

Sano stiffened, having been unaware that _that _had been on the menu for the night. Megumi, however, smiled angelically and excused herself.

Sano waited what he thought was an appropriate amount of time, though if he was honest with himself, probably wasn't long enough. But he became impatient when he knew his beautiful client was waiting for him, hot and ready.

He tried to keep his cool and not raise suspicions among Megumi's posh work friends as he walked between the tables to where the toilets were. When he was standing in the short hall, with the ladies' on one side and the men's on the other, he hesitated.

"Kitsune?" he said, hoping she'd hear.

Almost immediately, the door to the ladies' was swept aside and an eager pair of hands pulled him inside. Megumi thrust him into the first cubicle in the row, and he locked the door, as she didn't seem to care. She kissed him fiercely, and he returned it, backing her up against the thin wall. He heard water running in the sink outside, a definite message, and he stopped. Megumi tried to pull him back.

"Wait," he whispered.

"Why?" she demanded.

"There's someone there," he elaborated, surprised that he had to.

Megumi just laughed breathily. "So?" she said huskily and suggestively, seizing his lips in another kiss. Her hands were already fumbling with his belt, and he decided she didn't want to waste any time.

Unzipping her dress, he pulled it down, exposing her breasts. He took a moment to think how exquisite she looked, bare except for the diamond necklace resting just above her cleavage, before assaulting them with his tantalizing hands. Meanwhile, she had freed him from his trousers and underwear, and was now squeezing him teasingly until he was fully ready for her.

He pulled her up higher for easier access, and also to stop her wandering hands, pinning her in place with his body. He replaced his hands on her chest with his mouth, while his hands supported her rear. She wrapped her legs around his waist, the thick skirt of her dress rustling as it was pushed up. He employed one hand to divest her of her underwear, only to find she wasn't wearing any, so instead he began to tease and arouse her until his fingers could move easily in and out of her and her breathing became heavier.

He heard the water switch off and hurried footsteps followed by the door opening and closing. They were alone now.

"Sano…" she moaned, and he obligingly took his hand away, positioning his hips instead. Her skirt was pushed completely out of the way, bunching around her waist.

This wasn't like the other times he had had sex in public toilets. For one thing, the soundtrack was different. Instead of muffled rock from the bar, there were stereos playing some gentle classical music. It was also much cleaner, and Megumi was very different from the usual skanky girls he did this with. They weren't wearing diamond necklaces and ball gowns and nice strappy shoes that locked at the small of his back. They weren't even one night stands, whereas he had a relationship with this woman, if only one of business.

He slid into her and she rocked her hips against him. He moved gently, knowing that these cubicles weren't as sturdy as her bed, for example.

"Harder," she demanded, her eyes half-closed, looking sultry as her hair started to come loose and tickle her neck and shoulders.

"Do you _want _to get caught?" he hissed.

"Maybe," she whispered, sounding like the sexiest thing he had ever heard. Maybe it was his shocked expression, but she rolled her eyes and spoke again. "None of them would _dare _to come in here and confirm it. Besides, I practically own those people. I just want to give them something to talk about," she said over her moans. She pinned him with her dark eyes. "Now, _harder_."

Sano shook his head in disbelief and planted his feet a bit more securely, curling his fingers over the top of the cubicle wall. Then he slammed into her so hard the whole row shook, the locks on the door rattling.

He heard the door open and he instinctively checked himself, but Megumi nudged him with her feet against his back, so he continued. There could be no mistaking what was going on.

"Um, are you alright in there?" called a young male voice, closely followed by some sharp female whispering. As a reply, Megumi gave a loud, echoing, impassioned moan, one of the most impressive Sano had ever brought her to. She then tightened her muscles around him like a vice, merciless and unrelenting, until he couldn't help the groan that escaped him.

Outside, the door swung closed again, but not before a lot of frantic whispering and some girlish titters.

Sano dedicated himself to the task at hand, angling himself to hit that spot he knew was there. Using all his best efforts, he brought Megumi to completion and finished himself before she could summon any more of an audience. Panting, he withdrew from her and let her down onto her feet gently. He moved back and leaned against the opposite wall, closing his eyes for a moment to gather his energies.

He felt Megumi's hands reach for his trousers where they pooled around his ankles. He opened his eyes and looked down to find her still half naked, kneeling in front of him. She saw him looking and planted a gentle kiss on his now relaxed soldier, then licked the sweat from his abdomen. It was almost enough to bring him back to attention, but even he couldn't manage that so soon after performing.

"I'm sorry," she murmured quietly, pulling the trousers up and starting to dress him. "I bet you're wishing you never agreed to this, aren't you?" Sano couldn't quite manage words yet, so he let her continue. "You must think I'm crazy."

"Not crazy," he replied when he found his voice. "Just interesting. Very, very… interesting."

Megumi smiled and he offered his hand to help her up. He pulled her to her feet and looked her over. Her chest was still exposed to him, but the skirt had fallen back down, even if it was looking a little ruffled. Her hair was dishevelled, and the sweat was beginning to dry on her.

"Have I ever told you what a red-hot demon you are?" he said, more to himself than to her. She laughed lightly.

"Charmer," she accused. She pulled her dress back up and turned around so that Sano could do it up for her.

Before they left the bathroom, Megumi stopped at the mirror to put everything back into place. When she was done, she sighed heavily and frowned slightly.

"What is it?" asked Sano.

"I don't know, it's just… We look too neat," she complained. "Wait, I have an idea, come here." Sano turned to face her and she drew her thumb across her bottom lip, then rubbed it on his collar. "There, much better," she said. Sano looked in the mirror at the red lipstick stain he now had marking his collar. He shook his head again at the woman's unexpected behaviour. He suspected she would be surprising him for a long time to come.

She took his hand and lead him to the door, where at the last minute he overtook her to walk out first. As he suspected, the corridor was full of gawkers. There was the man who had been brave enough to speak to them mid-act. Sano narrowed his eyes at him, deciding to put on a good show. He could feel Megumi tripping along behind him.

"So sorry, didn't know you were all waiting out here, couldn't stop him, artists, you know…" she twittered, undoubtedly having a great time. Sano picked the oldest woman in the row, easily thirty or forty years older than him, and winked at her as he passed. She flustered, and he smirked to himself. The women were more jealous than they were scandalised.

He led them back to their table, and they tucked in to the fruit tart dessert that was waiting for them. They made a point of ignoring the other people on the table, who kept shooting each other amazed and curious glances. They were probably the only table not talking about it. Sano felt he had accomplished a job well done if it was a stir Megumi had wanted.

At the end of the night, they were driven back to Megumi's apartment. They were both tired, feeling drained by the evening. Sano changed back into his own clothes, instantly feeling more like himself, and left the tuxedo draped over the back of a chair for Megumi. When he came out of the bathroom, he found her curled up on the bed above the covers, having taken off her dress and jewellery and let down her hair.

Her eyes were closed, so he assumed she was asleep. She looked so much sweeter and more vulnerable when she was sleeping, but then, Sano supposed everyone did. He turned to leave, opening the bedroom door, when she called him back.

"Sano?"

He turned around, and saw her sitting up, rubbing her eye sleepily.

"Are you going?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm gonna head off home," he answered her quietly.

"Are you sure? I mean, is it really safe, this late at night? I can drive you."

For some reason, he didn't want Megumi seeing where he lived, and it wasn't for the usual reason of basic safety. He'd had troublesome clients in the past, or their husbands.

He held up a hand, stopping her. "Megumi, relax. I can take care of myself," he said. He was used to things not exactly being safe, after all.

"Well, here, let me give you something before you go," she said. She rolled over, reaching for her bedside table. Sano stayed, he couldn't believe he'd almost walked out without getting his money for the night.

Megumi found her purse and counted out his six hundred dollars, but then she also wrote something on a scrap of paper and handed it to him with the money.

"My cell number. Just in case," she said. If she had thought about it, she wouldn't have given him the number, but she must have been too tired to be thinking clearly.

Sano nodded and accepted it from her, stuffing it with the cash into his pocket like always.

"Thanks," he said, nodding at her, unsure how to proceed.

"Goodnight, Sano," she said quietly.

"Night, Kitsune," he replied, before shutting the bedroom door behind him on his way out.


	4. Stood Up Sano

Chapter 4

After the dinner, Sano didn't see Megumi again. He had told Kenshin about the event when he had asked, but he found himself holding back the details. He didn't feel right telling his friend, it felt somehow like he was betraying Megumi's trust, which was ridiculous really. He'd never hesitated to gossip about the most sordid aspects of his other clients and their meetings with Kenshin before, but for some reason, Megumi was different. Kenshin was suspicious, but in the end he just decided that there must not be anything to tell.

However, when she didn't show up on Tuesday like she usually did, Sano had to keep himself from feeling affronted. It was becoming harder to remember his place. He was a hooker, not a boyfriend, and their Tuesday night routine wasn't a date. She was the boss, and he was just along for the ride.

He didn't like the fact that he didn't hear from her at all though, and the next Tuesday, as he stood by his broken lamp-post, he felt himself becoming increasingly worried as she didn't show up. She hadn't said anything the last time they'd met, she hadn't warned him that she would be out of town or anything like that. When someone else drove by, and he turned them down, just in case, he knew it was no good. He had to go home, and when he got there, he spent a good hour or two staring at the scrap with her number on it, wondering if he should call. He couldn't figure out what he would say though. Everything he thought of just made him sound like a clingy and insecure boyfriend. There was no way for a prostitute to ask a client why she hadn't engaged him for the night.

The fact of the matter was, Megumi could be fine. It might just have slipped her mind that she was going away and she forgot to mention it. She could have been called away suddenly for a family emergency, or some sort of business thing, whatever it was that she did for a living. Or maybe she just didn't feel like seeing him. She was too busy, or just wasn't lonely enough.

Or, Sano thought, she could have found herself a real boyfriend, someone she could actually date. If that happened, well, she wouldn't need him anymore, would she? She could be getting her quota of tall from somewhere else. But he wouldn't be a better lover than he was, Sano thought bitterly. He was the best. But women have other needs, like bouquets of roses and meeting the family.

Sano was angry with himself. When had he become so unprofessional? He had known this was going to happen eventually, in the beginning, but he'd let himself get too comfortable. Their relationship had come to its end, just like dozens before it, and he would just have to get over it. Find someone else. Another regular to supplement his income. He would miss the money more than the woman, he told himself. He was back to harsh reality now, not being able to pay his rent on time, and risking his neck working the street.

Sano tossed the number away from him with a growl and reclined on the couch. It was so thinned out he could feel the wooden struts digging into his back, but he ignored it. He tried to put Megumi, her fancy apartment and the luxurious bed in which he had pleasured her week after week, out of his mind.

The problem was, he couldn't shake this paranoid little nagging voice telling him that it was his fault. That he had done something wrong at her fancy party and that was why she hadn't contacted him again. Looking back, he knew he hadn't, he'd only done what she told him to do, even participated in her little show in the bathroom. But maybe there was some little etiquette thing that he'd neglected because he hadn't know about it. If that was the case then he couldn't be blamed for it. An uneducated whore couldn't be expected to blend in seamlessly with the upper classes, he'd warned her that taking him as her date would be her funeral.

Then another possibility occurred to him. He could have been found out. The other guests, all her co-workers and associates, might somehow have discovered that he wasn't really an artist popular with European princes. If that happened, then of course, Megumi would want to sever all ties with him. She would be so embarrassed to have hired a hooker to be her date, and no one would ever let her forget it. If she continued seeing him, it would only make things worse, especially if they were watching her.

Sano snorted at himself and rolled onto his side. They were watching her? How much further was he going to delude himself? This was straying from the unlikely into the realm of fiction. He doubted that whoever Megumi was, she was important enough to be spied on. He was reaching, and he knew it. What he needed was to get his feet back on the ground, focus on his other clients, maybe squeeze some extra cash out of them until he replaced the fox.

In the meantime however, he was not in the mood for working, and he didn't think his prospects were very good at this kind of time. No, tonight felt like a night for drinking until he passed out.

OoO

Sano awoke to more sunlight than he ever got in his apartment, and the faintest smell of cleaning products and detergent, something else he never got in the Crapshack. He groaned as he woke more fully and became aware of a dire headache and a hellish taste in his mouth. His whole being felt fuzzy and crumpled. He wondered where he was and how late he'd slept.

There was a dull thud as a large glass of water was put in front of him, accompanied by two pain pills.

"Good morning," said Kenshin sardonically, as Sano forced himself to sit up and squint at his host. Kenshin was sitting opposite him, legs crossed, completely at ease, and looking fresher than anyone had any right to when Sano was feeling so terrible. He knew it had to be mid-afternoon if Kenshin was up.

He tried to talk again, reaching for the water and the meds, but he only succeeded in making a muffled moan.

"You're at my house," Kenshin spoke as Sano drank. "You didn't quite make it back to your place last night, so the bartender called me, because, you know, I just love dragging your drunk ass home with me, at the crack of dawn, when I've already put in a night's work at the club and don't have a car or anything." Somehow he managed to keep his positive tone propped up by sarcasm.

"Sorry," Sano croaked after a moment's concentration.

Kenshin just tipped his head and shrugged. "It's not the first time, and I know it won't be the last. You'd just better remember this if I ever need a favour," he said.

Sano just dedicated himself to getting his eyes open without searing, blinding pain.

"Can we have the drapes closed?" he said.

"No," answered Kenshin, conversationally, looking at his nails with his nose in the air. He always did this when Sano was hung-over and had spent the night at his place, he wouldn't exactly make things worse for Sano, but he would refuse to be accommodating. This meant bright lights, and the clattering of pans and the radio if it was meal time. As far as Kenshin was concerned, it was Sano's own fault if he was hung-over and he was going to suffer the consequences. And Sano knew he couldn't complain or Kenshin would kick him out on his ass.

"Can I take a shower?" asked Sano.

"If you want," replied Kenshin, waving him down the hall, leaving him to stagger to his feet as best he could.

Sano showered quickly, not wanting to run up his friend's water bill, and rinsed out his mouth. Kenshin's house was a small bungalow in a bad neighbourhood that he could only afford because he had inherited it, and therefore had no rent or mortgage payments. From the outside, it looked derelict, but once you got inside, you could see what good care Kenshin took of it. The rooms were small, but they were clean and everything worked. There wasn't any peeling wallpaper or loose nails, and the furniture didn't look like it had been found next to the freeway.

When he emerged from the bathroom, he was going to take his leave and go home, but Kenshin stopped him before he could open his mouth.

"You've made the papers," he said. "In a way."

The redhead held out a newspaper folded over to a story a few pages in. The first thing Sano noticed was Megumi's black and white picture in the middle. There were several smaller photos, one of which was taken at the dinner at the museum, obviously by one of the photographers at the front steps. Megumi was smiling and looking like a movie star at a premiere, and it was true that Sano stood behind her, his hand gripping her arm as he spoke into her ear.

The picture made him feel strange. It was clear how mismatched they were - Megumi with her diamonds and class, him with his scruffy hair - but the way he held her and whispered to her, it made them look like they shared some dark, lustful secret. It was a passionate shot, enough to make plenty of women jealous just with the suggestion it made.

The headline read; "Hospital Tycoon Investigated for Stealing," and Sano immediately scanned the rest of the story. It seemed Megumi - Sano now learned her last name was Takani- was suspected of embezzling from various hospitals that she apparently owned and ran. So that's what she does for a living, Sano thought. All her money, the hundreds that she tipped him with and her expensive car and jewellery, it all came from owning hospitals all over the country. It said that she also took a very active part in the direction of the institutes, which was how she was in a position to steal from them.

Sano noticed that the emphasis was on the city's children's hospital, a foundation Megumi had recently been collecting donations for. Anger rose in him at the journalist and the newspaper. Megumi would never have done this. The article also said her accounts had been frozen for the duration of the investigation. This would definitely explain why she hadn't come to see him. She would be being very careful with her money at the moment, and the last thing she needed was the police or the journalists monitoring the case to discover that her lover was for hire.

Sano was also struck by how concerned he was for her. He found he wanted to be there with her and comfort her, make sure she was dealing with it alright. And with her accounts frozen, it wouldn't be as her employee, it would just be as her friend.

"So that's her, huh?" said Kenshin, bringing Sano back to the present. "Bet you had no idea what she was up to."

"She didn't do it, Ken-man," replied Sano. Kenshin looked at him,

"Sano… You're not going to get involved, are you? I mean, you know better than that, right?" said Kenshin slowly, worried.

"Do I?" replied Sano, his eyes scanning the article again.

"Oh no, Sano, come on, you hardly know her!" Kenshin was afraid he recognised where this was going.

"That's not true," was the taller man's touchy reply.

"Oh yeah? I bet you didn't know her last name or what she did for a living until you read that article, did you?" Kenshin knew he could try to make his friend see sense, but he felt it was already too late.

"It takes more than that to know someone. I know what she's like as a person," Sano replied stubbornly.

"Knowing whether she prefers to be on the top or the bottom is not the same as knowing what she's like as a person," the redhead scorned.

"Don't talk about her like that," said Sano with an angry flash in his eyes.

Kenshin held up his hands defensively. "You're right, I'm sorry, but can't you see where this is going? It's your goddamn hero complex acting up again, you just _have _to rush in if you see a woman in trouble."

"And some men, if I recall correctly, Kenshin," said Sano, giving Kenshin a cold but meaningful look. "And since when is that a bad thing?"

Kenshin sighed, "It's not a bad thing. It's just that this isn't some woman getting hit on by a thug in a bar, this is over your head. This is lawyer stuff, she could go to jail. She doesn't need you turning up. Face facts, Sano, you're not going to be her white knight, you're just going to end up getting your face rearranged by the angry boyfriend like usual. "

He was willing the rooster-head to listen to him, but he knew it was futile. There was some things that Sano just couldn't wrap his head around, and his place in the world was one of them. He had always been too much of a romantic to be a whore, but it was also what made him so good. He treated every woman with love, but at times like these, that could backfire when he elected himself their personal protector. Kenshin could tell this was going to end badly.

But Sano wasn't listening. There were times when Kenshin's defeatist, 'gritty realism' outlook on life got on his nerves. But he never wanted to get in a fight with him, Kenshin was the best friend he had, probably the only real one.

"I'll see you later, man," he said, and left the house, leaving Kenshin exasperated on the couch in his wake.


	5. Rescuing A Princess, Sort Of

Chapter 5

After leaving Kenshin's, Sano went home to brush his teeth and change clothes. He tried to make himself as presentable as possible. Then he grabbed his sunglasses and took two buses up to Megumi's neighbourhood. He found the building and started to feel nervous for the first time, unsure of how he would be received. But he was just coming as a friend, and he wanted to make sure she was alright.

The doorman gave him a funny look, but ultimately, he let Sano pass, though he didn't open the door for him. It was the man at the desk who stopped him as he made his way across the lobby to the elevators.

"Can I help you?" called the uniformed man, leaning over the desk slightly to make sure of attracting Sano's attention.

"Uh, yeah, I'm here to see Megumi Takani?" said Sano, changing direction and approaching the desk. He didn't want to end up being escorted out by the security that such a plush place was sure to have.

The man stilled and gave him a cold look over his appointment book. "Are you with the Press?" he asked.

"What? No, I'm a friend of hers," Sano answered, wondering if things were really that bad around here.

"I was not informed of your visit," The door man continued. He put down his pen, making it clear that it was going to be difficult to convince him to let Sano up.

"I'm surprising her." Sano tried an easy smile. He wasn't used to this. If it had been a woman behind the desk, there would have be no question, she would have been falling over herself to accommodate him. And if the guy had been picking a fight, Sano would have likewise been able to handle it. But he was going to have to charm his way past this guy, by looking innocent and harmless, two things he was not famous for, and he was struggling.

"I see. Well, unfortunately, it's my job to ensure that our tenants are _not _surprised, so I'll just let her know you are coming, shall I?" he said, with a cheap attempt at congeniality, and picked up the phone. It rang for a long time before the man gave up, obviously reluctant to concede the matter.

"There is no answer," he said bitterly, dropping the phone back on the hook. He ran his finger down the open page of his big ledger. "She has not left the building today. Perhaps she is indisposed. Would you like to leave a message?"

"No, I think I'll just go on up and see her," replied Sano with a nod, drumming quickly on the desk before walking away.

"I'm afraid I can't allow that!" called the man, but this time Sano ignored him. He knew he didn't fit in here, but if he could make it to Megumi before Security caught up to him, then he would be alright. If she wanted to see him, that was.

As he rode the elevator up to Megumi's floor, he thought about Kenshin and what he had said about a hero complex. Sano supposed that in this situation, he was a knight going to rescue the princess from her tower. Except that he was nobody's definition of a knight, Megumi was not being kept prisoner, and the princess may very well tell him to get lost.

The doors opened and he walked quickly to Megumi's apartment. He knocked and got no answer. Well, he hadn't come all this way to give up so easily.

He knocked again, and this time he added, "Megumi, it's me, Zanza." He used the name he had told people at the party, just in case anyone was listening.

He listened carefully and he could hear distant rummaging and then the door was pulled open. Megumi looked run down and mega-pissed.

"What are you doing here?" she said, and her voice was unsure.

"I heard what happened, I came to see if you were okay. Can I come in?" answered Sano.

Megumi shrugged, and stepped back for him. The apartment looked the same, except it now had a messy air to it, as if Megumi had been rifling through every drawer and cupboard and left things askew.

"How are you doing?" asked Sano once she had shut the door.

Megumi gestured with one hand in the air, "Alright," she said with a sigh. "Crap," she followed it up with. "I'm being hounded by the press so that I can't even answer my phone anymore, no one I know is talking to me, I'm a complete pariah, my accounts are frozen so I can't pay my rent, the police have told me not to leave town, my lawyers are working harder on extracting money from me than they are on the case…" She swept her hand through the air again, before pressing her fingers to her forehead and placing the other hand on her hip. "So yeah, I'm doing just fine."

"Is there anything I can do to help?" asked Sano, feeling useless.

Megumi laughed. "I doubt it, don't you? But thanks for offering. And thanks for coming over, I guess. I didn't think you would." She looked at him, "I'm innocent, by the way."

"I thought you were, that's why I came," said Sano, moving closer to her, to rest his hand on her arm.

"I'm pretty sure someone is actually framing me, and it's driving me crazy, but I can't do anything about it since the police don't exactly trust me right now. All I can do is cooperate and wait for their investigation to play out. I hate it, I'm used to being the one in charge," said Megumi, moving away from him.

"Yeah, all those hospitals, right? I've finally found out what you do for a living," continued Sano, hoping to lighten the mood, following her out of the living room into her bedroom where a big suitcase lay open on the bed half-full.

"Oh yeah, sorry about that. I didn't want to tell you anything about myself because I wasn't sure if it was safe. You could have used what you do to blackmail me, or sold the story to the papers. I guess that's kind of not a problem anymore, huh?" she said bitterly, moving between the bed on which he sat and the various cupboards, packing the suitcase.

"I guess not. And I wouldn't have done that anyway. Really bad for business, you know?" he replied, watching her move about the room.

"Well, I wasn't sure. I'd never done it before," Megumi mumbled.

Finally, Sano had to ask. "So, what's with the suitcase?"

"I'm moving out before they kick me out. I'd rather leave on my own with what little dignity I have left, than stay and wait for them to evict me," she explained, her expression darkening even further.

"Where are you going to go?"

Megumi stilled for a moment, and answered without looking at him. "My ex has offered to let me stay with him until I can find somewhere else."

"Wow, that's a shitty thing to have to do," commented Sano sincerely, remembering his first night with her when she had used him the next morning to convince the guy to leave her alone. "Don't you have any girlfriends or family you can stay with?"

"I only have one friend who believes I'm innocent - she isn't in the hospital business - but she lives with her dickhead boyfriend who doesn't like her to have any friends, especially women like me who fill her head with crazy notions about women's rights. He'd rather see me living in a dumpster than with him," Megumi spat, and Sano wondered about this man and his girlfriend who was Megumi's only remaining friend. "And no family. Not for a long time."

"Well, you could always come and stay with me, rather than with your ex," Sano suggested, his heart softened by how alone she claimed to be, before immediately regretting it. He _did _want to save his client from having to crawl back to her ex, and he _did _want to have her around and help her out should she need him, but he also knew he couldn't subject her to the roach-infested, dirty health-hazard that he called home.

Megumi was looking at him, appearing surprised and a little touched by his offer.

"Uh well, maybe not with me, I don't think you'd like my place very much, but a friend of mine has a nice little house all to himself, and he owes me," Sano quickly amended, wincing internally as he thought of the fight it would be to get Kenshin to agree to the set-up.

"Oh,… well… it's true I really don't want to go back to Kanryu…" she was tempted, but hesitating. She didn't want to put him out, or give someone who was still a prostitute, albeit a very kind one, that kind of control over her life, never mind the fact that she would be staying with someone she had never even met. But compare that to moving in with Kanryu, that slimy beetle, and being in his debt, Megumi would brave almost anything.

"It's no trouble," encouraged Sano.

"As long as your friend really doesn't mind… Thank you," Megumi said with a tentative smile, and went back to packing her suitcase.

Sano was glad. He was looking forward to being able to see her everyday, though he knew he shouldn't. Maybe he _had _let his feelings go too far, but she made him happy, she was interesting, and Sano just didn't have it in him to say no to things that made him happy.

Megumi closed the suitcase and placed it on the floor. She looked around her room and sighed heavily. Everything else was going to have to go into storage, at least for the time being. If things went badly, she may be forced to sell it. But then again, if things went _really _badly, she'd go to jail. That was the worst case scenario, but even if she avoided that somehow, unless she could expose the person who was framing her, it was very likely that she'd never work in her sector again. She'd be disgraced, she'd lose everything she had worked so hard for, she'd have to start again somewhere else and create a new life out of nothing.

She felt Sano's arms wrap around her from behind and he pulled her into him, rocking her slightly from side to side. It was very comforting, and Megumi rested her hand on his where it lay against her stomach.

He kissed her neck, "It'll be alright," he said. Megumi could only hum non-commitally.

He kissed her neck again, this time a bit more languidly and lingeringly. "Wanna relieve some stress? I haven't seen you in a few weeks," he murmured in her ear, while one hand wandered lower on her stomach, his thumb rubbing little circles through her clothes.

Megumi laughed lightly, "I don't think I can afford you at the moment," she replied.

"This one's on the house," he said huskily, kissing behind her ear and nuzzling into her hair.

Megumi thought about it. She didn't really feel like it at the moment, but Sano always made it amazing, and it would be good to forget for a while. She would quite like to get tangled up with him and her Egyptian cotton sheets one last time before she had to say goodbye to them and her comfortable life.

She chuckled and turned in his arms, pressing herself against him and wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Go on then," she said, and he kissed her deliciously on the mouth.

0o0

Megumi looked out the window of her car at the neighbourhood she was in. It was pretty run down and it made her kind of nervous. Her heart sank and she told herself it was just for a few days.

Sano turned to her. "Wait here for a minute, I'm just going to go explain things to Kenshin," he said with a smile. She nodded in consent, and wondered how she felt about Sano living in a place like this, or worse.

Sano got out of the car and moved swiftly up the concrete path to Kenshin's front door. When he answered, the redhead took one look at Sano, and at the car in the street with a woman inside, and said "Oh no."

"Kenshin, man, I need a favour."

"No."

"You don't even know what it is yet," Sano argued.

"I can guess, since this morning we discussed whether or not you would rush to your client's aid, and now you turn up on my doorstep with a woman in a fancy car," replied Kenshin, steadfast. He folded his arms, prepared not to budge an inch.

"But I really need this one, Kenshin, she's got no where to go, she's gonna be evicted," Sano begged, manipulating the truth a little as she hadn't actually even been given a warning or anything yet.

"So? Don't you have an apartment? I believe you do. You're the one that wants to help her so badly, not me."

"I can't take a rich broad like her to mine, are you crazy? She'll probably catch tetanus or something," Sano reasoned desperately. "She's real fancy, she won't be any trouble at all, she just needs a place to sleep."

Sano knew Kenshin was not a heartless man, and that he was usually very generous and compassionate. He also knew that he abused that generosity and compassion a lot in their friendship and that Kenshin was getting sick of it.

"The answer's still no. She's none of my business. It's just your vanity that wants her to stay here, not any real necessity," answered Kenshin, hard as a stone.

"I'm asking you as a favour for a friend."

"I do you too many favours, Sano, like just last night when I didn't leave you to wake up in the gutter like you should have. And I'm having a really hard time remembering the last time you did anything for me," accused his friend. It was clear Kenshin was losing his temper. Sano had one big card left to play, but he hated to do it.

"I know I ask you a lot, and you're always rescuing my ass. You're a saint, Kenshin, you really are. If you do this for me, I'll never ask you for anything ever again, and you can leave me to drown in the gutter all you want. But please, I'm begging here, it will only be for a few days, until she can arrange something else."

Sano could see it wasn't working, so he braced himself to be a complete asshole to his friend. "I got you off the streets, remember? I looked after you when you didn't have anyone else in this city." Sano steeled himself for the killing blow. "Remember the night we met? And what would have happened to you if I hadn't shown up?"

He was referring to a night a long time ago, when Kenshin first found himself down on his luck in Sano's basic area. Sano had stepped in when a bigger, stronger man than Kenshin hadn't understood that no means no. It happened a lot. Some bastards thought that just because people like him sold it, that it was alright to steal it. Kenshin had always been way too pretty to be safe doing what Sano did. So the rooster head beat the asshole to a pulp and took Kenshin home with him, putting him up until he got his job as a dancer. It was something neither of them talked about very often, Sano wanting to spare his friend the painful, mortifying memory.

Kenshin's eyes narrowed dangerously, he didn't appreciate having his weakest moment held over his head as leverage, but he also couldn't forget how much he owed the man who had stepped in to help a stranger. For a long time there was silence between them, until Sano thought he had ruined his friendship with the redhead for good, but then Kenshin spoke.

"Alright, Sano. She can stay here. But only for a few days. _Three _days, and I get repaid for every cent she costs me. And that is the last time you bring that up, understand? The _last _time!" He was almost shouting by the time he finished speaking, pointing at the taller man to emphasise what he was saying. Sano hurried to agree to his conditions and thank him profusely, agreeing that never again would he use the circumstances of their first meeting to get what he wanted. He didn't want to anyway, it made him feel really, really low.

He jogged back to the car and opened the door to let Megumi out, while Kenshin tried to compose himself.

"It's all settled," said Sano with a smile.

"Are you sure? He looked angry," said Megumi, having watched the whole exchange from the car.

"Oh, no, that was about something else. Come on," Sano carried her suitcase for her up to the door.

"Megumi, this is Kenshin. Kenshin, Megumi," he introduced.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," said Kenshin politely, shaking the woman's hand.

"Thank you so much for letting me stay here," replied Megumi.

"I'm afraid you're going to have to move your car if you want it to still be there in the morning," Kenshin said, smiling apologetically.

"Oh!" Megumi looked over her shoulder at it. "Of course, I will. Maybe Sano can show me somewhere suitable?" She was kicking herself for not thinking of that sooner.

"Sure," answered the rooster-head, though he had no idea where an expensive car like that would be safe within the surrounding two or three miles.

Kenshin motioned Megumi inside, and she walked in with a shy smile of thanks. Sano made to follow her, but found himself jerked down to Kenshin's height by his shirtfront.

"One more thing," Kenshin growled through gritted teeth. "If you do any _work _for her while she is staying here, I will personally skin you alive," he said, before pushing Sano away from him and following after the woman, leaving Sano to kick the front door closed behind him with a gulp.

**Author's Note:** They're all coming together...


	6. A Little Less Fantastic

**Author's Note: **Alright, this is where the story branches out for bit, involving hardly any Sano at all. It's mostly focused on Megumi, with some Kenshin, and next chapter Kaoru comes in properly. Sorry this chapter took a while to come out, I'm on holiday at the moment. Meanwhile, I've had lot of positive reviews and enthusiastic support for this story, I hope it continues, and I hope I can finish this fic deserving it. So, I thought I'd name-check a few people: CosmicFish201, Akanke, Roosterboy, Lunascorpio, Crewel, Shysie, MissTeak and Lara. Some of you have written particularly heart-wrming reviews, others have just been faithful, reviewing every chapter. Thank you, I hope this is up to your standards.

Chapter 6

Megumi had only been at Kenshin's for a few hours when Sano realised something he had not foreseen.

The three of them had sat around Kenshin's coffee table, making awkward small talk as best they could. Megumi felt bad for imposing, which it was clear she was. Sano felt shy for introducing her to the world he lived in, knowing it was so very far below her own, while also being aware that Kenshin's clean and well-kept house made a much better impression than his Crapshack would. He dreaded what she was thinking, but he knew it would be infinitely worse if he hadn't convinced Kenshin to let her stay, and had housed her himself. Kenshin meanwhile was feeling awkward because he knew nothing about the woman, had no way to entertain her, and was frankly feeling very put out at having to forego his usual daily routine in order to baby-sit Sano's latest cause.

However, as evening began to draw down on them, the two men began to get antsy. Now was the time that they usually went to work, neither of them having what you might call a nine-to-five. This was a problem Sano had not taken into account. There was no way he could stretch his finances sufficiently to be able to afford to stay with Megumi in the evenings. Of course, he knew Megumi understood what he did, as she herself was a client, but it was just professional courtesy not to leave one woman in order to go meet others. But tonight, it seemed he had no choice, especially since Megumi had been forced to withdraw her custom.

So by about seven thirty, he decided he had waited about as long as he could, since he would have to walk back to his place, check his answering machine to see if any of his regulars wanted an appointment, and change into something a lot less conservative before going out on the streets.

"Well, I guess it's time for me to go now, guys," he said awkwardly, getting to his feet. He felt shitty for having to leave the two alone when they were still so uncomfortable with each other, but it had to be done.

Megumi looked startled. She obviously hadn't been expecting him to leave, but clearly it would be even more of an inconvenience for both of them to impose on Kenshin's hospitality.

"You're going home?" she asked. They had moved her car earlier in the day to a covered lot, so she was feeling a little trapped.

"Yeah, well, you know, we can't both stay the night here. Kenshin'll look after you, don't worry," he said, edging towards the door. He didn't want to tell her his real reason for leaving.

"Can't you stay a bit longer?" Megumi asked in a low voice. She knew Kenshin would hear her, but she instinctively wanted to avoid offending her host.

For Kenshin, in a bad mood already, it was painful to watch. He knew why Sano was leaving, of course. It would soon be late enough for the real creeps to come out looking for company, so if Sano wanted to earn his bread in a half-decent way, he would have to leave now.

Sano kept making awkward and vague excuses, until he was at the door and able to extract himself from the nervous woman who had been following him out. Megumi stayed by the door, feeling lost, until Kenshin took pity on her and called her back.

"Sano's not leaving you, now is just the best time for what he does," he said softly once the woman had seated herself opposite him again.

For a moment, Megumi didn't follow, but then she realised what he must mean.

"He's going out to get picked up by some woman, you mean?" she confirmed. For some reason, she didn't like that idea.

Kenshin shrugged, "He has bills to pay, just like everyone else. He can't afford to stop working for the time you spend here, though I'm sure he wishes he could. But Sano usually lives on the money he earned the night before, it's always been like that for him, and he doesn't have you tipping him hundreds anymore," explained the redhead.

"Are you saying it's my fault? He knows I can't afford - I'm being investigated by the Police…" Megumi was reaching for something to explain why she was feeling upset.

"He understands that, that's why he's going out, instead of staying here, trying to work you," said Kenshin calmly.

Megumi looked away, thinking about it. It suddenly came to her how horrible it must be to be a prostitute. She knew she had hired him, but she hadn't cared at the time. He was just a tool, a simple way to relieve stress and get the kind of pleasure she couldn't get anywhere else. But then she had made him her date, and now she was staying with his best friend, and somewhere along the line, she had stopped seeing him as a means to an end. Now he was a person, someone funny and charming and kind, and she didn't want him to have to sell his body in order to survive.

"How often does he have to…?" Megumi felt weak for shying away from saying the words to describe what Sano did, what he was presumably doing right at that moment. She wasn't a blushing pre-teen, for Heaven's sake.

"He goes out most nights, sometimes one of his regulars makes an appointment," answered Kenshin. He knew Sano wouldn't want him filling Megumi in like this, but he felt that there was some things the woman needed to understand. She needed to know exactly what she was involved in, and who it was that was going to so much trouble for her.

_Regulars_… That was the problem, wasn't it? thought Megumi. That Sano was sleeping with other women for money. Tonight he would be touching someone as intimately as he had touched her, he would do whatever they asked him, and at the end of it all, they would bring him pleasure too, because that was how it worked, wasn't it? If they asked him to pretend he was in love with them, he would, and then they would have got something from him that she never had. Was that what she was? Just another regular?

_Of course_, she scolded herself, _what else?_

Tomorrow, he would come to see her, with a few hundred bucks in his pocket, and they would pretend nothing happened, because it wasn't like they were dating, or anything. He was just doing his job.

"But, with the kind of money he makes, or at least with what he charged me, he shouldn't have to go out that often," said Megumi, her brows drawing together in confusion.

Kenshin seemed to consider her before answering, looking away before meeting her eyes again. "I could tell you that you don't get hired every night you go out, and that would be true, but the real reason Sano sells it as often as he does is that he has his vices, just like anyone else. They cost him more money than he has, unfortunately."

Megumi went cold and hard. "Drugs?" she asked in an unforgiving tone. She felt betrayed that the man she had hired and had been sleeping with was spending her money on something as stupid and weak as narcotics, when it could have been giving him food, shelter, clothes, and allowing him to stay off the streets more often.

"No," answered Kenshin. "Sano has seen what drugs do to a person. His problem is with gambling. At his worst, he ran up some very serious debt, that he's still paying off now. But he's got much better, now he only plays little games here and there with people he knows, and only when he can afford it. He asks me to go with him to keep him out of trouble. But he still can't resist playing with big money if he ever gets his hands on it. I'm telling you this in case you decide to keep seeing Sano when this is all over. Hundred dollar tips are nice, four hundred dollar debts are not."

Oh.

Megumi suddenly felt very small, and bad. The man before her was obviously wiser than he looked. His words were not judgemental, though he clearly felt no warmth for her, but he cared for Sano. He was seeking to educate her, and improve his friend's relationship, such as it was. A part of her was grateful, but then she was also feeling guilty and foolish. She felt horrible for assuming Sano was a drug addict, recognising the stereotype of a 'crack-whore,' especially since she was a doctor and would have recognised the signs if he was a junkie. She also felt compassion for him, having to sell himself as often as he could in order to feed the demons he had conjured in the past and that he was now trying to escape. And she hadn't been helping him by paying him extra. By being generous, she was actually hurting him more. She wondered what he'd done with the six hundred dollars she'd given him for accompanying her to the gala dinner.

"He told you about that, then?" she wondered aloud, not quite able to look at him yet.

"He usually tells me everything," answered Kenshin, and Megumi felt ashamed. She almost blushed, did this man know all about what she asked Sano to do for her? But she also felt the stirrings of outrage, how dare he gossip about her and what she considered to be something very private? And sadness, because there was just more evidence that Sano didn't distinguish her from his other clients at all, but then, what right had she to expect differently? Kenshin continued, thankfully amending what he had just said, "But he has been strangely reticent about you for a long time," he allowed.

So, Sano had been protecting her privacy, after all. Once again, she had easily thought the worst of him. What did it mean, though, about either of them? She thought again of what she had just learned about him, and the problems he had in his life that was becoming more and more different from hers.

"I didn't know," she said pathetically, knowing it didn't help anything. She suddenly found herself admiring Sano's friend, and wishing that he would be on her side as well.

Kenshin acknowledged her subtle apology with a sympathetic look, but then his eyes flicked casually to a clock on the wall.

He stood up, "I also have somewhere I have to be, Miss Megumi," he said. "You'll be alright here by yourself? I won't be back until quite late." Normally, Kenshin would never have left a stranger alone in his house, but the idea that this woman would steal anything was ludicrous. It was quite clear to him that, when left alone, she would most likely just sit where he left her until she tentatively went to sleep on the couch. He hoped it was her good manners and upbringing that made her so averse to offending him, and not any impression he had given her.

"Oh… yes," she agreed nervously. "Are you… going to work, too?" she asked, hoping he wouldn't take offence. Instead he smiled at her, the first real smile he gave her. It made her feel better just to see it.

"Yes, but I don't do the same work Sano does. I'm a dancer at a club," he answered, amused by her shyness.

"Like an exotic…" Megumi tried to shut herself up before it was too late. She shouldn't be prying into this man's life, she'd imposed enough. She felt way out of her depth.

Kenshin had been watching her reactions and he wasn't disappointed.

"A stripper, yes," he confirmed. He was rewarded with a faint blush as she hurriedly dropped her gaze. He almost laughed, she was supposed to be such a ball-breaker. Sano had always described her as being so confidant and self-assured. He decided to tease her a bit more. "People tell me I'm quite good, you could always come along and be my judge," he said, holding in a laugh as her eyes widened and her blush deepened. She opened and closed her mouth, trying to think of a polite way to decline without offending him.

Finally, he did laugh. "Relax, I was just teasing. You're good value, Miss Megumi. I don't mind you staying here after all," he said, and left the room to get ready for work.

Megumi exhaled heavily and tried to calm herself down. It seemed she and Kenshin were comfortable with each other now. Though the image of her host taking his clothes off on stage for a room of screaming women was definitely something she could have done without. He was attractive, sure, but he did nothing for her. He was at least a foot too short, and his look was too exotic for her. She much preferred Sano's scruffy brown hair and warm, laughing brown eyes to Kenshin's long red mane and violet eyes. She forced herself to calm down, if she was going to be staying here, she couldn't very well spend the next three days walking on eggshells. She'd go crazy from the stress.

When Kenshin re-emerged, His hair was pulled back in a high ponytail so tight it looked like it should hurt, and Megumi was alarmed to see his eyes were actually a different colour, a shocking amber that pierced right through her as if she was prey, aided by the black kohl lining them. His face looked thinner, and he instantly looked quite cruel and dangerous. On his shoulder he carried a back pack, presumably containing whatever else he would need for his performance, and in the opposite hand, was a sword.

He caught her looking, and said "Don't worry, this is just a prop, couldn't cut through butter. You think the manager would let me use my real one? Never in a million years. But it's a good effect, isn't it?" he said, turning his head as if to get her opinion.

"Yes, very effective. I take it you're _trying _to scare people?" replied Megumi.

Kenshin flashed her a smile that was definitely part snarl. "It's surprisingly popular," he answered. Then his eyes fell on the wall-clock again and he took his leave.

"Kenshin! Before you go, can I use your phone? I'd like to call my friend and get her to drop some stuff off for me," she said.

He would normally have hesitated to let a woman call a friend on his phone, but he remembered that Sano had agreed to reimburse him for every cent, so he pointed her in the right direction before he left.

Megumi waited until she was sure Kenshin was gone to phone Kaoru.

"Hello?" answered her friend quickly. She knew how Enishi hated it when Kaoru let the phone sound for more than three rings.

"Kaoru? Hi, it's me," said Megumi, a wave of relief and comfort sweeping over her at her friend's voice.

"Megumi? How are you doing? Are you at Kanryu's?" asked Kaoru, not without a note of distaste.

"No, actually, I… um… I've kind of been seeing someone else, and he's letting me stay with him, well, with his friend." Megumi had not told anyone when she had started hiring Sano.

"What?! You never told me, who is he?"

After all the kindness she'd been shown, she wanted to be honest about who was helping her. "Well, actually Kaoru, he's a… prostitute," she said, hesitantly.

There was a pause, but then she heard Kaoru say, "Seriously?" with an obvious smile in her voice. Megumi should have known that Kaoru would never react negatively. Not only was she completely free from the prejudices that everyone else Megumi knew was host to, but since her boyfriend kept her squashed tightly under his iron thumb, Kaoru was always in favour of anything out of the ordinary that could pass for an adventure.

"Yeah, I've been picking him up for a couple of months now, but I had to stop when this damn bullshit investigation started, so he came to find me to make sure I was alright."

"Wow, that was really nice of him!" encouraged Kaoru, and Megumi realised that it really was, completely above and beyond the line of duty for a prostitute.

"Yeah, so I told him I was going to have to go back to Kanryu's, and he offered to let me stay with a friend of his instead, and I said yes, because frankly, you know, it's Kanryu," said Megumi.

"Why his friend? Why not let you stay with him?" asked Kaoru.

"Who knows? He said I wouldn't like it. Maybe he doesn't want me interfering with his business," Megumi said a bit more sourly than she intended.

"Oh." Kaoru had obviously detected the problem immediately, and there was a bit of an awkward pause afterwards.

"Anyway, Kaoru, I wanted to ask if you could go round to my apartment and bring some stuff over?" Megumi said, changing the subject.

"Sure, just say what and where to," her friend replied, eager to help. Megumi gave her the list of items she needed that she had been compiling in her head, and Kenshin's address.

"I'm looking forward to meeting these new friends of yours, Megumi," she said, before ringing off.

"Me to, I think you'll like them," replied Megumi.


	7. Sano, With A K

Chapter 7

Kenshin did not wake Megumi when he came home in the early morning hours as she slept on the couch, but she knew he would have got in late and so would presumably be getting up quite late as well. Herself, she was a fairly early riser, and so when she awoke the next morning, she moved through the house as quietly as she could. She got ready first of all, preferring not to be found in her sleeping wear with her hair in disarray.

However, once her appearance was up to her standards, she moved to the kitchen and started on breakfast. She ate only a couple of slices of toast, not wanting to eat her host out of house and home, and left the coffee pot for Kenshin when he woke up. She took her own coffee back to the living room and began erasing all traces of her stay there, stripping the couch of sheets and pillows, which were then folded and neatly stacked, and stowing her pyjamas away in her suitcase.

She settled on the couch, sipping her coffee. It was a bit dull, but Megumi insisted that she could entertain herself with her thoughts alone. Kenshin didn't seem to own a TV, and she didn't want to turn on the radio and risk waking him. Really, what she missed was work, and the sense of purpose it gave her. She was a woman who liked to keep busy, and sitting doing nothing wouldn't take long to drive her crazy. She picked up a newspaper and started thinking through the puzzles. She didn't write anything in in case Kenshin wanted to do them himself, she just kept the answers in her head.

As soon as Kaoru came over, Megumi was going to sit down with her and get her battle plan straight. She would not wait for the police and her lawyers to convict her, she knew the hospital system better than anyone, and she felt that she would be able to uncover whoever was framing her. She had her cell-phone on vibrate in case either the officers or the law firm tried to contact her, but she held off on calling them herself out of respect for Kenshin's sleep.

She wondered who it was that was doing this to her. It had to be someone she knew, because they were the only people close enough to the accounts to do it. The question was, were they implicating her because she was just a convenient scapegoat, or was it personal? Were they after money, or revenge? Megumi knew she had enemies, all powerful people do, but it still concerned her to think that one of them might be masquerading as her friend.

Eventually, when Megumi had made her second cup of coffee last as long as she could and she was beginning to think about lunch, there was a knock on the front door. It was loud enough to make Megumi wonder if Kenshin had heard it and was going to get it, but went for it herself. First of all, she was expecting Kaoru, and second, she thought she could give her host a little longer in bed that way, though she was nervous about answering the door to someone else's house. If it wasn't Kaoru, she hoped it wouldn't be someone problematic, like a loan shark. She realised she was being very stuck-up in thinking that Kenshin might have big violent enemies just because he was in a different social class, but part of her couldn't help it. It was something she would have to work on. At least she could be fairly sure that it wasn't going to be the media, who had been hounding her relentlessly since the accusations started..

She unlocked and warily opened the door.

"Hey, Kitsune, what's kicking?" said Sano from the doorstep, reminding her of that first morning when she'd let him stay the night. It seemed he still had the same Good Morning. "Kenshin still in bed?"

Megumi stepped away to let him in. "Yes," she answered.

Sano walked through to the living room, giving the kitchen a cursory glance as he went, no doubt checking for easily accessible food. He threw himself into a chair and watched her retake her seat on the couch.

Megumi recalled how she had felt last night when Sano had left to see if he could get picked up. She had been jealous, and she had felt sorry for him. Neither were emotions she should be feeling for a man whose relationship with her didn't even constitute a fling. She worried that maybe she was beginning to forget that he was a prostitute who was only doing his job when he was with her, providing a service in exchange for money, like a plumber or mechanic. Even so, she couldn't help herself from bringing it up.

"So how was your night?" she asked as casually as she could.

Sano glanced at her then shrugged one shoulder as if it wasn't important. "Ah, you know," he evaded, scratching at a mark on his jeans. "How was yours?" he asked, hoping to change the subject.

"Fine. Were you able to find someone?" continued Megumi.

"Mmm," Sano grunted non-commitally. "I hope things didn't get too weird when I was gone, I know you've only just met Kenshin," he said, dodging her question again, but Megumi didn't fail to notice that he didn't deny anything.

"No, we were able to find things to talk about," _Like your gambling debts_. "What did she want you to do?"

Sano sighed heavily and smiled persuasively at her, "Let's not talk shop, it's too early for that," he said, effectively putting an end to her interrogation. The truth was he didn't like talking to her about his work. It made him uncomfortable, reminding him of what he was, and it had always been a policy of his not to talk about one client with another. He knew well enough that most women would instinctively see it as cheating, which made it very bad for business. But with Megumi, there was something else, maybe because with her, she made it _feel _like cheating. He also didn't appreciate her curiosity, he thought she had better manners than to probe into his bedroom affairs.

Megumi conceded, feeling ashamed for pushing. She agreed to make more conventional conversation. "Is this early for you, then?" she asked.

Sano shrugged, but he looked a little relieved that she had listened to him and dropped the previous topic. "Yeah, sort of. Me and Kenshin don't usually start functioning till two or three. But I thought I had better come over, keep you company," he explained.

"Thank you, but I asked a friend to bring some of my stuff over. She should be here soon," answered Megumi. After that, a bit of an awkward silence fell. They usually only came together for fun, and in this babysitting situation, they didn't have much to talk about, especially since the things Megumi wanted to talk about most were off limits. So they were both a bit relieved when they heard a door open down the hall and shuffling footsteps approach.

Sure enough, Kenshin appeared, passing the doorway to the living room on his way to the kitchen.

"Hey, Ken-man!" greeted Sano, but his only reply was a low grunt. Kenshin was obviously not much of a morning person either. The redhead looked like a zombie. His incredible long scarlet hair was down, hanging free down his back and curling around his shoulders. His bangs were unruly and the whole thing was just generally a mess, the worst case of bed-head possible with hair that long. Several locks had been slept on bent, and so they now stuck out in every possible direction, his parting was all over the place, on one side at the front then on the other at the back, and lying on a side it wasn't used to was making it stick up in various crimson peaks.

All that could be seen of the man himself underneath the red haystack was flashes of pale skin around his stomach as he hadn't worn a shirt to bed, and his bare feet sticking out from under a baggy pair of black lounging trousers. It might have been the mass of hair, the baggy trousers, or the way he was slouching, but the overall effect was to make Kenshin look tiny, especially since the only other people around were over six feet.

They found him rummaging in the fridge, setting out the ingredients for a cup of tea, completely ignoring Megumi's coffee pot. He didn't give any indication that he knew they were there.

Sano went first. "Rough night?" he asked, half tentatively, half trying not to laugh. Another grunt was Kenshin's reply, though it was impossible to tell if it was positive or negative.

"I guess it _is _a few hours before you normally get up," continued Sano, prompting Megumi into trying to help.

"You can go back to sleep if you want," she hurried to suggest, but the zombie shook its head, assimilating the now-ready cup of tea into the mass of red until a faint sipping could be heard, and the creature shuffled away into the living room.

Sano and Megumi looked at each other, giggled silently, and went after him.

"Not much of a morning person, ay, Kenshin? I feel like I've walked onto the set of _Dawn of the Dead_," said Sano lightly as he crossed the threshold into the living room. He looked over at his friend, who had curled into an armchair, his hands cupping his mug of tea. Kenshin was awake enough to glare at the rooster head with narrowed eyes through the canopy of red bangs.

He then took a gulp of tea and set the mug on the table, leaning forward and straightening his legs. He seemed to be making an effort to rouse himself because he spoke, his voice low and husky from sleep.

"First of all," he said, "Kiss my ass, Sano, and secondly, my hair looks like this because of a new spray they're using at the club," he explained. He swept one hand through his out of control mane, clearing it away from his face, and it was like the clouds parting. He instantly looked like a human being again and Megumi could even see why he could make a living as a male stripper without having the muscle-bound physique of a Chippendale. He _was _quite beautiful, she had to admit, though not in a way that would interest her.

The smaller man continued to smooth out his hair as he asked Megumi, "How did you sleep? I hope everything was alright. Have you had any breakfast?"

Megumi assured him everything was great as he finished his tea.

"Good," he said, standing up to get more.

OoO

Kaoru was sitting in her car outside. She looked down at the piece of paper on which she had written the address Megumi had given her the night before, then she looked up at the street around her. She checked the GPS, which was still assuring her she had reached her destination, with the little arrow clearly pointing at the house beside her, then she looked through the windshield again at the cinderblocks that littered overgrown lawns separated by chain-link fences.

This couldn't be right, could it? Megumi couldn't be staying _here_. But then, she had said that she was staying with her prostitute's friend, and Kaoru didn't suppose that they lived very well. Conceivably, this _could _be the right place, and she wouldn't know until she actually knocked on the door, would she?

Gathering her courage, Kaoru got out of the car and collected the bags containing Megumi's belongings from the backseat. She let herself in through the thin metal gate and walked the short distance along the concrete walk to the front door of the house, staying away from the sides in case any of the aging exterior fell off and infected her with some horrible disease.

She knocked timidly on the door, telling herself that Megumi, and people she trusted, were inside. Her friend Megumi, and her friend's prostitute, and his friend. She was sure they were all nice people. Unless the house was crack-den.

The door was opened quickly, as if the person had only been standing a few paces away from the door. When she saw who it was, however, she gave a strangled gasp of dismay, pulling the plastic bags in front of her chest, staring at the man in front of her as her optical nerves strained to keep her eyes from falling out of her head.

_No_, she thought, _Not him…_

A moment passed and Kenshin glanced around in puzzlement before prompting the strange woman on his doorstep to speak.

"Yes…?" he said, trying to be polite.

Kaoru choked as she realised she was expected to say something, to have a reason for knocking on his door, but all she could think of was the fastest way to get out of this Hell.

"Sorry, wrong house," she gurgled in a strained voice.

"Oh, okay then, bye," answered Kenshin congenially, and gently closed the door again.

She stayed frozen on the step. How could this be? she thought, and why? _Why_? Of all the houses, she had to come to _his_… She had recognised him instantly, of course she had, there was no mistaking that long red hair. The dancer at the club. The Rurouni. The object of her every fantasy for the past four months. The man who had done kinky and delicious things to her as she slept, and romantic and loving things as she lost herself in her housework. The man she had watched erotically remove his clothes on stage every chance she could get, playing a part herself, leaving him notes written in lipstick with her tips as if she was a confident seductress instead of the shy nobody she really was.

This was the most embarrassing thing that had ever happened to her in her entire life. She wouldn't need the ground to open up and swallow her, she was pretty sure she could melt through it herself.

And _oh_, he had looked _so_… The image of him would fuel her dreams for months to come. His hair down and ruffled as if he had spent the entire night making sweet and impassioned love to her, his chest bare and oh so close, unabashed. Those loose black trousers, complimenting his skin tone perfectly, hanging low on his hips, teasing her with the faint jut of his hip bones and the shallow trench just to the inside of them, leading like a treasure map down under the fabric…

And his voice! She'd never heard his voice before, husky, encouraging the idea that he'd just got out of bed, but still light and friendly, a pleasure to listen to. The perfect voice for murmuring sweet nothings and spicy suggestions in her ear, setting her nerves on fire before he even touched her.

At least he hadn't seemed to recognise her. She had escaped. She forced herself to breathe again. She looked around her, and then back at the note with the address. Once again, she was confronted with the fact that this _was _the right place. So, then, how did the Rurouni come to be there? Oh God, she didn't even know his real name. Was he the prostitute? No, that couldn't be, he would never… But then, he would, wouldn't he? He was a stripper, after all, was it such a stretch to believe that he supplemented his income with more private shows? But Megumi would never… He was nothing like Kanryu, or any of the other men Megumi talked about. But he was so beautiful, how could anyone resist him?

Kaoru felt a sudden rush of hate towards Megumi. Her friend knew nothing about Kaoru's patronage of Cupid's Arrow, the club that hosted the performances of the Rurouni, and his more objectionable alter ego Battousai, but if she had _had _him, if Megumi knew what it was to feel his touch, to surround him with her body and exhaust him in her bed, then Kaoru would not be able to see her ever again, not without clawing her eyes out first.

Thankfully, part of her still knew that was impossible. Megumi only dated _tall _men. It was the one thing that mattered to her, more than looks, wealth or personality, for a while at least. Megumi never stayed with the slime balls like Kanryu for long, no matter how vertically gifted they were. And while the Rurouni was quite tall enough for Kaoru, he probably wasn't even a blip on Megumi's radar.

So he must be the friend that Megumi was staying with, or another guest in the house. Kaoru looked at the house again. This was where her idol lived? She wasn't sure if that was tragic, or just all the more romantic. This also meant that she would have to knock again, further embarrassing herself. He hadn't given any sign that he recognised her, something she was immensely grateful for now. Maybe she could get through this, though she did give a moment's consideration to just getting back in her car and telling Megumi she would have to collect her things herself from Kaoru's. But that would never work. Enishi would hate to be disturbed in that way, and he hated Megumi.

She would have to knock again and hope Megumi was inside. At least this time she was ready for it.

OoO

Kenshin closed the door on the stranger feeling slightly amused, and slightly irritated. The look on her face had truly been something else, but he still didn't appreciate having to open his door for no reason. She must have been a nun or something, like a Jehovah's Witness, to have been that shocked and dismayed just because he'd opened the door without his shirt on. He knew he had unusual looks, they paid his bills, but he'd never had someone look at him like they'd just run over his dog simply because they happened to catch him showing a bit of flesh.

But something was telling him that wasn't quite right, that he was missing something. He had the feeling he knew more about the girl, something that could be applied to her serious overreaction. But he didn't think he knew her… though something seemed familiar maybe…

Kenshin turned and walked towards the kitchen to get some more tea, still thinking about it.

"Who was it?" called Sano from the living room.

"Wrong house," answered Kenshin, being contradicted almost immediately by another shy knock behind him. Kenshin smiled to himself and almost chuckled, the girl was funny. He hoped she would stick around for a bit longer this time.

He went back and opened the door. There she was, the same girl, standing on his threshold. Her attitude made it impossible to call her a woman, but Kenshin recognised that she was a bit too old to still be called a girl. But she was just so cute! Shy and blushing like crazy, staring at her feet, though she wasn't using the bags she carried as a shield anymore. Something in him made him want to reach out to her, play with her, push her further, get some kind of reaction. He leant against the door jamb, with one arm over his head, and she shifted nervously.

"Change your mind?" he asked, wondering why his voice took on that sultry tone so readily. She nodded. He looked at her more closely, so many things about her were unfamiliar, and yet something about the shape of her face made him feel that he'd seen her somewhere before.

"Good. Are you going to tell me what you're looking for this time?" he teased. She glanced at him with mortified blue eyes and opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out. He argued with himself that he couldn't know her, he would have remembered eyes like that. Her hand came up to push a few strands of black hair that had escaped her ponytail behind her ear, and Kenshin watched the movement, thinking he'd like to try that for himself.

"No? Am I going to have to guess then? Maybe you could tell me if we've met before, because I feel like I should know you," he said, frowning slightly in confusion. She looked at him, fear colouring her embarrassment, and he straightened up, ready to apologise to her, anything so that she wouldn't be afraid of him. What was he doing, anyway, coming on so strong? She was a perfect stranger, maybe even a nun. He had no idea what had come over him, he must be spending too much time with Sano.

Kaoru cleared her throat, and managed to speak. "You don't know me. I'm here to see Megumi. I've brought her things," she said hurriedly, hoping to stop him trying to remember her, lifting the bag to divert his perfect violet eyes from her face, no matter how much she loved to have his attention on her for just a minute. She locked it all away for later.

"Oh, are you a friend of hers?" Kenshin asked conversationally, more like himself and less like Sano. He wanted to explore this connection, but even that wouldn't explain the strange feeling of familiarity he had, since he'd only met Megumi for the first time the day before.

"Yes, I am" the girl answered, looking a little relieved.

But that wasn't enough either, there was still something else. Had she gone to school with him? The thought almost made him laugh as he recalled his mess of an education. Someone from his old neighbourhood? Nothing felt right. There was one very obvious place where he could have seen her though.

"Can I ask you something?" he said sincerely, "Do you ever go to a club called Cupid's Arrow?"

The look on her face confirmed it, and suddenly, everything fell into place. He didn't recognise her because whenever he saw her, her long hair was down, its black colour invisible in the dark of the room, reflecting the neon lights from the stage in an ethereal shine. She wore more make up as well, and her clothes were less conservative. No one would confuse her for a nun if they saw her at the club. She would have been too far away, watching his routine from a table near the back, for him to see her blue eyes clearly. And her attitude was completely different as well, he remembered a confident, collected woman, watching him with lust in her eyes as she slowly sipped on her drink, not this girl currently working her way through every shade of red known to man as she tried to find the words to explain herself.

Of course he knew her. He couldn't believe it, but he did. She was the big tipper, the woman who came to all of the Rurouni's acts, but never Battousai's. She was the one who had left him that serviette with "Call me - K" written in lipstick. And now here she was.

Kenshin was not happy. He didn't like mixing work with his private life, in fact he hated it. But now his biggest fan knew where he lived, was indirectly connected to him through Sano and his client. She had a legitimate reason to come inside his house. He was angry, he didn't want this, he didn't like being surprised and imposed upon in this way. He should have the right to keep away from overzealous women, and to be able to relax at home without being constantly reminded of what he now did for a living.

This explained her earlier reaction, her shock and embarrassment. She had recognised him the minute he had opened the door, wearing nothing but a pair of pyjama bottoms. He cursed himself for his earlier behaviour, playing with her. It would only have encouraged her.

Kenshin gasped with the recognition. "You're K!" he accused.

She looked desperate. "Look, why don't I just leave the things here and go? I never meant to disturb you at home -"

"Kaoru?" Megumi had heard her voice and come out from the living room. She slid between her and Kenshin and took the bags off her friend. "Jesus, did you _run _here? You look like a tomato."

Kaoru did not appreciate the observation. "I'm… fine," she answered hesitantly, her eyes moving between Megumi and Kenshin, wondering if the man didn't want her to come in, but he just rolled his eyes and gave up the fight, walking away from them both into the house.

"Who's that?" Sano joined in, standing in the threshold of the living room to watch the exchange between the two women.

Kenshin turned towards his friend, glad for someone to vent his anger on, as he blamed the rooster head for what was going on. "That's Megumi's friend, Kaoru," he said. As he walked past, he deliberately shouldered the taller man so that he slammed into the wall a couple of inches behind him. "As in, with a _K_," he clarified. Kenshin continued into the bathroom to get ready, slamming the door, hoping for some privacy. He was used to living alone, only occasionally having Sano round, but now his small house was full with four people in it, which Kenshin was beginning to feel was about three people too many.

Sano was confused by his friend's temper and aggression, but then he remembered the significance of the woman's name beginning with K. K was the codename of the woman who was always at the club, Kenshin's biggest tipper. Sano grinned to himself mischievously. What a way for things to work out.


	8. The Boyfriend In The Background

**Author's Note:** God, how long has it been since there's been any plot development?! And this chapter's no better… It's just that the plot in this story, Megumi being framed for embezzlement, needs to be resolved by the _gang_, obviously, the only problem is that none of them have any access to the hospital records or anyone else involved. I have a loose idea of how I'm going to fix it , but I don't like it, so I'm trying to work out the kinks a bit. Anyway, that's what's going on with this fic at the moment.

Chapter 8

Kaoru wasn't particularly keen to enter the house, but Megumi didn't give her a chance to refuse, snatching up the bags and calling for her to follow. The rooster-headed man whom Kaoru had decided was the prostitute Megumi had been employing was looking at her with a wolfish smile that didn't make her feel any better. He followed on their heels as Megumi led Kaoru to the living room, fitting himself into a chair as the women took the couch, Kaoru perched awkwardly on the edge.

"So, Kaoru, how are you? Have you heard anything new about the case?" asked Megumi eagerly.

The younger woman couldn't keep her eyes from repeatedly flicking to the man in the room, who had draped his tall frame over the chair at an angle so that he was facing her, with one arm over the back of the chair and one on the armrest, while the other rest supported his leg, with only one foot on the ground. He was still smiling, as if he knew a delicious secret. Presumably, he knew about her visits to Cupid's Arrow to watch the Rurouni dance - Kaoru had not missed the redhead's reference to her notes, signed 'K,' which he must have told Rooster-head about. But having him know, even while he was sitting right next to her grinning like an idiot, was still not as mortifying as what had happened at the front door. This was small-time compared to that.

As she looked at him, she could see exactly why Megumi had chosen him. He was wearing a loose white shirt over a fitted white vest, and some very faded jeans. He had young, roguish good looks, he was scruffy and he knew it worked for him, but he was also clearly very amenable and good-natured. He was just what the stressed-out older woman needed. He was low-maintenance, and everything she'd missed out on in her youth. Megumi had grown up so far on the right side of the tracks that bad boys were considered mythical creatures, but now she was an adult, she could live out her rebellious fantasies with little to no personal risk.

But Kaoru was not jealous. She didn't really appreciate the cockiness. Kaoru wanted a Prince to sweep her off her feet, not a roll in the hay with a palace guard. She knew Megumi's desires were much more realistic, that it was easier to find a willing rake than a knight in shining armour, but that was what the Rurouni was all about. Of course she knew it was just a persona, a character created in order to charm women into giving him money, but for a few hours a week, Kaoru let herself be fooled. She let herself believe that she was his Princess, and that he was dancing just for her. She didn't see the other women in the audience, only him, and the infinite kindness in his violet eyes.

The woman looked away from the hooker in the chair, and answered her friend. "No, sorry, there's a lot of data that needs to be gone through before the Police can be sure of what happened," she said, glancing at the man again.

Megumi noticed her friend's distress. "Sano, why are you smiling at her like that? You're creeping her out," she chided.

"Hmm? Oh, sorry," he said, reacting to her words and tearing his fixed gaze away from Kaoru, making her feel like she had been burning under a hot lamp that had just been turned off.

"You haven't even been properly introduced, yet. I'm sorry, Kaoru, this is Sano, the man I told you about on the phone," She gave Kaoru a telling look, "And Sano, this is my friend, Kaoru, probably the only person in the city that believes I'm innocent. Apart from you."

"It's nice to meet you," said Sano, leaning forward and extending his hand for a shake, appearing to remember his manners. Kaoru took his hand warily, her smaller one being engulfed by his much larger one. She attempted a smile and a nod.

"The man who answered the door was Kenshin, it's his house," Megumi continued.

_Kenshin, so that's his name…_ the younger woman thought. It was a good name. It suited him.

Kaoru's heart sunk as she saw that knowing smile return slowly to Sano's face. He still hadn't let go of her hand, and now he said "But you've seen him before, haven't you?" He obviously thought it was funny, and Kaoru wondered crossly how Megumi could stand him.

She snatched her hand back and glared at him, annoyed by his smugness. She didn't reply, but Megumi had noticed the comment, and realised she was missing something.

"What?" she asked, looking between the two for clarification. Kaoru kept silence, her blush returning with frustration.

"Kaoru's a regular at the club, she goes to see Kenshin all the time, she's his biggest fan, aren't you?" he said, obviously determined to make her admit it.

Kaoru was embarrassed again, it was the way he described her as Kenshin's "biggest fan" that did it. She couldn't meet Megumi's eyes.

"Kaoru?" Megumi sang, intrigued. "Is that true? You never told me…" She was smiling just like Sano, who was looking very pleased with himself.

"Well, you never told me you were seeing a prostitute either," Kaoru replied hotly, leaning towards Sano, hoping to offend him, but he just looked shocked and made a clawing motion in the air with his nails, clearly saying she was being catty.

Megumi laughed. "I guess I didn't. At least I wasn't the only one keeping secrets. But I would never have guessed you were the type, Kaoru!"

The poor blushing woman kept her eyes on her twisting fingers in her lap, her face heating up uncomfortably. She really should have just told Megumi to get her own stuff.

"When did this start?" probed Megumi, still interested.

Kaoru mumbled that it had been four months ago, but when Megumi didn't hear, she amended her answer, saying instead that she didn't remember.

Megumi leant back against the arm of the sofa, looking at her friend in amazement, shaking her head with a smile on her face. Never in a million years would she have guessed that quiet little repressed Kaoru would visit a male strip club, and not only that, actually have a favourite. But then, she mused, it really was always the quiet ones. It made sense, now that she thought about it. So, Kaoru was a red-blooded woman after all…

This opened their friendship up to a whole new dimension, they could talk about men, now, and sex, and all the other baser things that Megumi had instinctively shielded the younger woman from. Previously, their conversations had always been about purer pursuits. The only times they touched on the subject of love was when Megumi complained about her boyfriends and the tyrant Kaoru was seeing, Enishi Yukishiro. But they had never got into the physical side of things, so it was a shock to find out that Kaoru felt lust and passion after all.

"What does Enishi think?" asked Megumi.

"Who's Enishi?" Sano chipped in, wanting to stay informed and follow the conversation without missing anything.

"Her boyfriend," clarified Megumi.

"She has a boyfriend?"

"He's more like a dictator,"

"Oh, right. So I guess it would be bad if he found out?"

"I don't know, she usually can't do anything without his permission, so maybe he knows already?"

They both turned to the sufferer on the couch, waiting for her to enlighten them. Kaoru continued fiddling, not looking at either of her persecutors.

"He doesn't know," she said at last.

"Wow, how did you manage that?" Megumi wondered aloud.

Kaoru paused before answering, trying to decide if it would be better to lie or not, but she eventually decided on the truth. "I tell him I'm going to see you," she answered hesitantly. "It's one of the reasons why he hates you so much."

She was afraid she would get in trouble, but Megumi just laughed heartily.

"So that's why! Kaoru, you sneaky devil, I never knew you had it in you! Good for you, I say, lying to that bastard so you can go ogle other men, I've never heard of more perfect justice!"

Despite the overall light-hearted atmosphere, Kaoru only felt worse as Megumi laughed. She didn't like lying to Enishi. She didn't really like lying to anyone, and she supposed if anyone deserved it, Enishi did, but the more her friends abused the man, the more driven Kaoru felt to defend him. She believed that everyone deserved some kindness, and it fell to her to make sure Enishi got his, as it didn't seem likely that he would get it anywhere else.

"So you like Kenshin, huh? Do you mind if I ask, why?" Megumi said, obviously not meaning any offence to Kenshin or her friend, but affronting the latter nonetheless, who balked at the forwardness of the question. Megumi was being thoroughly too nosy for Kaoru to tolerate much longer. Her fantasy world had been exposed, and now it was being invaded, and pretty soon Kaoru was going to have to start fighting back.

"Megumi, I'd really rather not talk about it, okay? It's not something I'll be doing again anyway," she insisted. The minute she decided to knock on Kenshin's front door for the second time, knowing he would answer, she had made up her mind to put an end to it all. She wouldn't be going to Cupid's Arrow ever again, nor anywhere like it. It had been exhilarating while it lasted, but Kaoru was not a pervert, she told herself. She needed to behave in the upstanding, lady-like fashion that her father would expect from her, were he alive today. How could she disappoint his memory in such a way? She would just have to go home, and learn to love Enishi a little more to make up for it.

However, her words just encouraged an even stronger reaction in Megumi.

"What? Why not?" she asked, as if she was honestly disturbed by the thought.

Kaoru squirmed. "Because, it's… embarrassing now. It's not anonymous anymore," she said, and it was true. She had to admit that the real reason she wouldn't be watching Kenshin dance anymore was that she could no longer pretend to be the cool seductress watching from the shadows. And he wasn't "The Rurouni" anymore, he was a person, she'd seen where he lived. She wasn't sure she could watch him strip without remembering the run-down neighbourhood he lived in or the derelict appearance of his small house. The last thing she wanted was to go there and, instead of feeling aroused, feel pity. She didn't think he would want that either.

"So? I'm sure Kenshin doesn't care, right, Sano?" Megumi insisted.

"Right. It's his job, Jou-chan, he's comfortable with it. Besides," Sano added, laughing, and making her blush again. "I'm sure he'd miss the tips."

Kaoru didn't feel like arguing with them, but she knew her mind was made up, so she just hummed ambiguously and left it at that.

OoO

After he had left the woman in Megumi's care, Kenshin had stormed off to the bathroom. Anger made him move quickly, brushing his teeth and showering, all the while fuming about how he was being imposed upon, and how awkward it was to have that woman come to his house. But he couldn't keep it up for long, it just wasn't in his nature to blame people, and so by the time he was dressing in his bedroom, he was already berating himself for being such a bad host by throwing a tantrum and leaving his guests by themselves.

He had already found a pair of black trousers that weren't too tight to wear in front of his new guest, and was now looking for a shirt. Without realising, he was trying to avoid looking like a stripper, which was ridiculous really since she already knew that that was what he was. He found a black t-shirt, plain and unobjectionable, but he laid it aside, remembering that she didn't like the dark Battousai and would probably prefer a less threatening colour. That time he did recognise what he was doing, and he paused, asking himself why he was trying to please her when she was basically a stranger to him. He decided he was just being a good host, and trying to make up for his bad behaviour earlier, and returned to digging through his drawers.

Finally, he found something, a tunic he hadn't worn in a long time, not since the last time he had painted the hall. It wasn't too stained, just a few specks of colour here and there like constellations, and it was loose and a suitable dark beige, the colour of papyrus. It had a bit of an open front, but it wasn't slutty. He slipped it on, remembering the Arabic country he had bought it in during the year he had travelled to that part of the world.

Then he stopped briefly in front of the mirror to twist his wet hair up in a bun, spearing it with a couple of chopsticks he had saved from some Chinese take-away when he had first moved into the house. Satisfied, he left his bedroom and walked quickly to the living room, hoping to make his bad temper up to his guests, especially the woman from the club, Kaoru.

It was a name that didn't really match with the image he had of her from the club, not that he knew anything about her personality, he reasoned. The dithering mess she had been reduced to on his doorstep suggested that her real personality was drastically different from the one she projected downtown. Today, she had been shy, clumsy, innocent, not brazen or greedy at all. Perhaps her name suited her after all. Kenshin hoped he would find out for himself which was her true personality.

He could hear their voices the moment he stepped into the hall, but he could only make out their words as he approached the living room. He found himself slowing as he heard Sano's deeper voice ask,

"So, if you don't mind me asking, why do you prefer the Rurouni to the Battousai? I mean, most women go for the bad boy look."

Kenshin did not miss the faint lilt of smugness towards the end of that statement.

"I said I don't want to talk about it." The poor woman sounded uncomfortable and harassed. He should never have left her alone. He, at least, knew how to make polite conversation and put a lady at ease.

"Oh, come on, Kaoru, it's not like we mean anything by it, we're just curious," added Megumi. Kenshin's lips tightened slightly. Was that how she treated her friends, or could she just not tell how awkward Kaoru was? He regretted that he was the cause for her discomfort.

Kaoru sighed with irritation. "I guess I don't like Battousai because he's too harsh, dangerous. I get enough of that at home. But the Rurouni's nice, he's soft and kind, he's a gentleman. It's like he actually cares about making you happy," she said.

Kenshin listened to her description of his different stage personas with mixed feelings. He had wondered himself what it was that made her stay away from all his performances as Battousai, when she was prepared to come to every single one of the Rurouni's. Most people didn't distinguish between them the way she did, but it was clear that Battousai actually held no interest at all for her.

However, hearing her talk about them made him sad, he realised suddenly, because when he read between the lines, he found a sensitive, loving woman starved for affection. She had no love for any man that was in any way a threat, but the smallest display of thoughtfulness had her falling in love. It was clear to him that the men in her life had not treated her the way they should have. It was a little tragic that she now had to turn to a stripper acting out a character to find the compassion she had been missing. In fact, if he had been closer to her, it might almost have broken his heart.

There was a bit of an awkward silence after her honest confession, and Kenshin was going to stop eavesdropping and enter the room, until Megumi spoke again, saying sincerely,

"Kaoru, Enishi's an asshole, why don't you dump him?"

"Don't start that again now, Megumi, I'm having a bad day," replied Kaoru tersely.

"But -"

"No, I've had enough of this, I've asked you not to talk about Enishi that way, and I said I didn't want to talk about the Rurouni, but you kept at it. Well, I think I've answered enough questions about my personal business for one day. I've brought you what you asked for, so I think I'm going to go now," said Kaoru.

She sounded angry. If Enishi was her boyfriend, thought Kenshin, then of course she would defend him, because even if he did mistreat her, he still filled the role of a loving male, if only in name. She would never dump him, because as far as she was concerned, calling himself her boyfriend was enough of an act of affection to warrant her loyalty. But that didn't mean Kenshin condoned her behaviour. Enishi was more than a fool if he didn't appreciate what he had.

"Kaoru, I'm sorry -" began Megumi desperately, regretting having offended her friend, but Kaoru cut her off.

"I'll talk to you tomorrow," she said, promising not to stay mad.

Then the living room door was wrenched open and Kenshin suddenly found himself face to face with the woman. She wasn't blushing anymore, and he found that her complexion was actually quite pretty. She halted, seeing him there, but only for a second. She gave him a cursory nod, and said,

"I'm sorry to have disturbed you at home, you won't be seeing me again."

Then she turned for the front door. For some reason Kenshin himself didn't fully understand, he reached out and grabbed her arm lightly, making her turn back to him in confusion and irritation. Feeling his touch after so long of lusting after him sent a physical spark through her skin.

He quickly had to remember a reason for stopping her.

"Forgive me for my behaviour earlier, it was uncalled for and uncharacteristic of me. You needn't feel that you are unwelcome in this house," he said, his eyes never leaving hers as his mouth spoke the words of its own accord.

After a moment of suspicious hesitation, Kaoru's expression softened, and she nodded. "Thank you, that's very kind, but I think it's best if I just… stop fooling myself," she pulled her eyes and her arm away, and left the house, making Kenshin shiver after the glance he had got of the loneliness in her.


	9. PimpStalking Sano

**Author's Note:** As far as I'm concerned, this story has already got way out of hand. When I first started writing it, Kenshin and Kaoru were meant to be peripheral, as in, a line or two alluding to their relationship every few chapters, but now they've kind of taken over, getting way more face time than I intended. And in this chapter, I bring in more characters, though they will only make one more (hopefully brief) appearance after this. So I have a question, should I bother to bring in Yahiko, or not? The story works just as well, if not better, without him, but I have thought of a way I can introduce him, and I have got reviews from people saying how much they like how close this story is sticking to the anime (it doesn't really) and how well the character's interact, and stuff. It would mean a bit (re: a lot) more writing for me, but I'm prepared to do it. What do you think? Does Kaoru need a ward?

Chapter 9

After Kaoru left, everyone in the house felt bad, but they tiptoed around the subject. The two men didn't feel it was their place to bring it up, and Megumi was embarrassed by herself, and didn't want to bore the others or talk about her friend behind her back. So any conversation was very awkward and stilted for a while.

It was about time for a late lunch, and so they sat down to whatever Kenshin could rustle up, which ended up being a modest bacon and egg, with a glass of milk on the side. Megumi was thinking hard about the case. The problem was, she couldn't get close enough to do anything to help. There was no way anyone at the hospital would talk to her, and none of her passwords would work on the computers anymore. She knew she was being set up, but she couldn't prove it.

"Well, what you really need to do is find out where the money is _going_," offered Sano. "I mean, I don't know much about white-collar crime, but if they're spending it, it's gotta show up somewhere."

"So, what? You think someone on the street might know something? It doesn't seem likely," added Kenshin.

"What about Shinomori? He knows everything about everything," Sano suggested it unsteadily, as if aware of how stupid it sounded, but Megumi had no idea what he was talking about. Kenshin, however, raised his eyebrows sharply.

"That's risky thinking, Sano," he said.

"Who's Shinomori?" asked Megumi, looking between the two men.

"Aoshi Shinomori is an up-market stable-boss, dealing to the rich, but he still rubs shoulders with the poor every now and then when he has to," Sano informed her.

"Stable-boss?" Megumi prompted for clarification.

"A pimp," elaborated Kenshin. "He runs the Oniwabanshuu. He's also the most paranoid person I've ever heard of. Most people don't even know what he looks like, and it's nearly impossible to get a meeting with him. And even if you do, he doesn't do favours for free, he'll want something in return," he warned.

"That might be true, but it's a start, isn't it? Who do you know who's more likely to know about this stuff?" Sano insisted. Kenshin sighed and resigned himself to his fate.

"It sounds like it's worth a shot," agreed Megumi.

Sano grinned wickedly. "And I know just where to start. You know that girl of his? The little one that he never sends out? I know where to find her…"

OoO

Megumi had to admit, she felt a little ridiculous huddled around the corner, watching this poor girl standing behind the counter. Apparently, Shinomori's favourite worked at a tiny convenience store, crammed with more stuff than there was really room for. It was easy to get lost in the narrow aisles and watch her.

She looked younger than she must have been, and she was very friendly. She always thanked each customer for coming with a big smile and made small talk with them in a cheery voice. It seemed impossible that she was connected to the menace of the city's underworld. Whenever she wasn't serving somebody, she talked idly to an old man that was sitting with her, watching a small TV and looking bored. Sometimes she would comment on something she liked, other times she would moan about something that had annoyed her earlier. Generally, the old man was not enthusiastic in his replies, but their relationship seemed to be built on a genuine affection.

Sano nudged Megumi lightly. "You should go talk to her," he whispered.

"What? Why me?" she hissed back.

"You're less threatening," he explained.

"Less threatening? She's alone except for an old man, what's she going to do?" Megumi retorted.

"Don't underestimate him, he's her bodyguard," commented Kenshin suddenly. "Most old men would be happy to sit and watch TV all day, but he looks frustrated. He's obviously used to being more active, and there's no way Shinomori would let the girl work with a man he didn't know," he explained, keeping his eyes trained on the girl.

Sano and Megumi looked at him. "How the hell did you work all that out?" Megumi asked him, shocked.

The redhead glanced at her and smirked briefly. "Ancient trade secret," he said mystically.

Sano rolled his eyes. "Kenshin's a creepily good judge of character, Kitsune. You'll just get a headache if you try to figure to out."

"Alright, fine. I'll do the talking," Megumi agreed belligerently.

"What are you gonna do about what he wants in return?" Sano asked.

"I figured I just give him money, that'll work right? Keep it simple?" she answered.

"But you don't have any money,"

Megumi shifted her weight and glanced at him. "How much do you think my car is worth?" she said after a pause.

"What? I can't let you sell your car!" Sano hissed.

"Why not? I'm not using it, it's just sitting in the lot. And if this works, I'll be able to buy a new one," Megumi reasoned.

"She has a point, it's probably our best shot," interjected Kenshin.

"Urgh, fine, go on then," agreed Sano, giving Megumi another little nudge.

"Right," Megumi nodded, and braced herself to approach the girl. Just before she stepped around the corner however, Sano wrenched her back harshly, pulling her over on top of him, bringing all three of them down in an ungainly pile.

"Wait!" he snapped.

"What?!" Megumi whispered roughly, her heart racing with adrenaline.

"That's Shinomori!" replied Sano, nodding through a gap in the shelves at the counter where a man who had just come in was standing. He was quite tall, Megumi noted with approval, with black hair and a long white coat. In one hand, he carried a sleek black cane with a silver ball on top, an honest-to-God pimp stick.

"I thought you said no one knows what he looks like!" Megumi reminded him.

"They don't! But it's got to be him, look at that coat! And that cane!"

"Sano's probably right, maybe we should wait until he leaves," suggested Kenshin, all three of them crouched like gophers, peering between the cereal and cans of beans.

The others murmured their agreement, until the daunting man looked over his shoulder directly at them.

"Shit!" Sano swore, as they all ducked. There was a moment of anticipation as they held their breath. "Did he see us?" he asked eventually.

"Yes, I did."

The group scrambled backwards furiously as the pimp appeared right next to them, arms folded menacingly, pinning them to the spot with surprisingly bright blue eyes. He wasn't wearing any of the flash jewellery that the stereotypical pimp used to show off his wealth, instead, all his money seemed to go into one of the finest suits Megumi had ever seen, and she was used to fine suits. He nodded casually in the direction of the ceiling, and as the slowly removed their eyes from him to look, the gang saw a round mirror mounted above the shelves so that anyone at the counter could see any shoplifters. The three of them winced painfully in unison.

"Hello, Shinomori-san, Sir…" soothed Sano, still trying to salvage the situation.

"What do you want?" asked the man in a deep and threatening voice.

Megumi felt Sano kicking her repeatedly in the back with his toes. "Er, actually," she began, trying to find her professional, board-room voice. "I was hoping maybe we could do some business together," she said tentatively, still too intimidated to get off the floor.

If possible his expression and his voice dropped a few degrees. "I doubt it," he said.

"All we want is a little information, on where some money is going from the city's hospitals, the children's hospital in particular," Megumi tried again, feeling a little more confident. This was just a person after all, he would be reasonable. He wouldn't have them killed in their sleep with ice-picks just for this, surely.

"And why do you think I would have this information?" pressed Shinomori.

"Because," Megumi glanced at Sano. "I'm told that you know everything about everything. I'm willing to pay for it," she added hastily.

He seemed to consider it, taking time to look more closely at Sano and Kenshin as they sat on either side of her, giving them the disturbing impression that he knew who they were. Maybe he really did know everything about everything, or could find out.

"You were going to talk to Misao. I don't like that," he said.

"We're sorry about that, we won't do it again," hurried Sano, while Megumi nodded in eager agreement. Misao must have been the girl behind the counter.

"How much do you say you are going to pay me for this favour?" he asked, although his face hadn't changed at all, remaining an intimidating mask.

Megumi gave him a figure for him to think about.

"I will require two thirds of that amount in advance," he demanded, seemingly just to see how desperate they were and how far he could push them.

"Er, well, at the moment, the money is kind of in car form," Megumi explained sheepishly. Shinomori blinked as if in the second his eyes were closed, he was rolling them.

"What type of car is it?" he asked, as if he was dealing with someone of limited intelligence.

"A BMW," Megumi responded.

"What year?"

"2007."

He seemed to weigh its value in his mind. He held his hand out to Megumi.

"Give me the keys. I will send someone to collect the vehicle," he said.

"Er…" Megumi hesitated, glancing at the men beside her. She was willing to sell her car for the information she needed, but she wasn't prepared to give it away just so that she could get stiffed. But Shinomori was waiting, and it was becoming increasingly apparent that he was an impatient man.

Megumi slowly got her keys out of her bag. "So, you'll get the information for me? You'll find out who's stealing the money from the hospital?" she said, wanting to hear him say it out loud.

"If the car is worth my time and effort. If not, I shall return it. Expect a message from me in a couple of days," he said, as she laid the keys in his outstretched palm.

"Your word is good enough for us, Shinomori-san," added Kenshin suddenly. The man looked at him and something seemed to pass between them, until Shinomori nodded succinctly. He closed his hand over the keys and stepped back, allowing them to get gracelessly to their feet.

"Do not come here again, or we shall speak on less polite terms," Shinomori said by way of goodbye as they shuffled out of the shop, placing himself between them and a curious Misao trying to see over his shoulder. They all nodded sincerely and hurried out.

In the street, they finally breathed easy.

"Hey, Kenshin, what was all that about at the end there?" asked Sano, clapping his friend on the back.

"Shinomori agreed to give me his word as a swordsman that he wouldn't try to cheat us," Kenshin explained.

"Swordsman? I didn't see any sword, how did you know…?"

"Why else do you think he carries that cane? He doesn't have a limp, and he's intimidating enough without having to resort to physical violence, so I doubt he uses it to beat people, and he seems to prefer a degree of subtlety and anonymity, so it's probably not to improve his image as a stable-boss," Kenshin explained as if it was perfectly normal.

Sano and Megumi shared a glance.

"You're a freak sometimes, man, and one day I'm going to figure out how you do it," said Sano, shaking his head.

They continued to walk home to Kenshin's, where the atmosphere was decidedly more relaxed than it had been when they had left. Megumi still remembered her friend, and wondered how she was getting on. Had she forgiven them for being so intrusive yet? It was coming up to six o'clock, Enishi would be home soon. That would keep Kaoru busy, and bore her at the same time. Megumi couldn't imagine how her friend could wait on that man hand and foot day after day without receiving anything in return, and still consider herself lucky. But once she had Enishi in front of her, Megumi knew one of two things would happen. Either Kaoru would convince herself she was right to love him, because after so many years and so many arguments in which she defended him, she couldn't bear to admit she was wrong, or she would finally see Enishi as Megumi saw him, and come to her senses. Megumi was still waiting for her to choose the latter, but so far, Kaoru never had.

The same thoughts circled in her head all evening. Part of Megumi was tempted to just drop the subject, stop antagonising Kaoru about her boyfriend in the interests of keeping their friendship intact, but at the same time, she knew it just wasn't fair. Kaoru deserved so much better, but she didn't have enough faith in herself to fight for it. When Megumi had learned of her secret relationship with Kenshin, she had been over the moon. Here was some proof that Kaoru knew she wasn't satisfied with Enishi and was prepared to do something about it. But by looking too closely at it, Megumi had inadvertently killed that bud before it blossomed.

Didn't she owe it to her friend to undo the damage she had caused? She had to try, but she needed a plan…


	10. Of An Evening

**Author's Note:** Hello again, everyone. This time, I just want to say that this chapter is basically all about Kaoru and Enishi (we finally meet him). This is because it was originally part of chapter nine, and would have been balanced by all that stuff with Megumi, Sano and Kenshin going to see Aoshi, but that made that chapter way too long, so I cut it into two separate chapters. So just bear with it all you Sano/Megumi lovers, I'm trying to steer it back to them. Hopefully, I'll be able to work in some more serious and private interaction between those two, but I don't know how soon it'll be. Also, to answer the Yahiko/ No Yahiko question, I'm leaving him out. He doesn't do anything other than string the story out for a few more chapters, and the very valid point has been made that this is a Sano/Megumi story, and Yahiko would just distract even more from that. As it is, this story is like a supermarket shopping trolley, constantly pulling to the right when I'm fighting to make it go left. So I'm trying to wrestle it back on track, but I need to get it to a point where that makes sense first.

Chapter 10

When Kaoru got home from Kenshin's in the afternoon, she was still upset. None of them knew Enishi like she did, and who were they to judge the man she had chosen to live with? She was determined to prove them wrong. She knew there was some decency in Enishi somewhere. She had seen it when they had first started dating. They just didn't appreciate his qualities because they were so subtle.

So she made up her mind to have a proper evening with him. A romantic dinner, with his favourite meal, and then dessert, with his favourite lingerie. With a smile on her face, she rushed back out of the apartment to get the ingredients, and then she would spend the rest of the afternoon in the bathroom, making herself as beautiful as she knew how to be.

Enishi came through the door at six thirty, just like he always did, tired and annoyed from work. Kaoru heard him drop his briefcase by the door, and called out to him,

"Hi, honey, how was your day?"

"Fine," he grunted as he walked past the kitchen on his way to the living room. Kaoru began setting the table, very pleased with herself. As she did so, however, she heard the TV come on and the twin thumps of Enishi's kicked-off shoes hitting the floor, followed by the cheer of a sports crowd.

She stuck her head into the living room.

"Enishi, I'm just setting the table, I've made steak with black pepper sauce, just the way you like it," she said, her smile faltering as she noticed the violent martial arts match on the TV.

"I'll eat it in here," he told her over his shoulder, not taking his eyes from the screen.

Kaoru fidgeted. "I was kind of hoping we could sit down and eat it together, you know, at the table," she tried.

Her boyfriend looked confused. He glanced at her, giving her a once-over, presumably noticing the extra make-up and jewellery, and the nicer clothes, but he didn't smile or comment on it. "Is it our anniversary or something?" he asked, turning away from her again before she could answer.

"No, I just thought it would be nice," she said. "And that is on the Tivo anyway. You don't have to watch it now."

"But if I don't watch it now, when am I going to watch it?" he replied, and when Kaoru didn't answer, he added an insistent "Hmm?" determined to make her acknowledge him.

"I don't know," Kaoru conceded, surrendering.

She brought him his steak on a tray, along with a glass of the wine she had picked out, then she went to the kitchen to eat hers by herself. She could have chosen to eat in the living room with Enishi, but she didn't like the violence in the sports he watched. She didn't mind the ones that worked on a point system, she could quite enjoy things like judo or karate, but it was the ones where the sole object of the match was not to display your skill as a martial artist, but to beat your opponent's face into a cauliflower. She also knew from past experience that the conversation wouldn't exactly be stimulating, any attempt she made at talking to him would just irritate him.

But it was alright, it was her fault really. She'd picked a bad night. Things would have been better if there hadn't been a fight earlier in the day. This didn't prove anything about Enishi, husbands all over the world had more time for televised sports than for their wives. It was just something women had to learn to live with. She was sure she did things that annoyed him. It was the stuff sitcoms were written about, and what could be more wholesome than that? She would just get him later, with the second part of her plan.

So she finished her meal slowly, washed up all the plates and pans, left everything neat and tidy the way she was supposed to, and went to the bedroom to wait for the fight to finish. She put more perfume on, and brushed out her hair. She changed out of her clothes and into a blue silk robe, that not only matched her eyes but also the lingerie she was wearing underneath.

Finally, she heard Enishi begin to channel hop, and knew she had her chance. She walked out and joined him, sitting on the arm of his chair. He frowned at her, but didn't say anything.

"Enishi…" she began in what she hoped was an attractive tone, touching his arm gently. "Do you want to come to the bedroom? I was thinking maybe we could… you know…" She smiled coyly at him.

He glanced away from the TV, taking in her state of undress and the ample view of cleavage very near his face.

"Alright, in a bit," he agreed begrudgingly. Kaoru was a little put out that his reaction wasn't more passionate or enthusiastic, but then she reminded herself that this was all part of a plan she'd made up by herself. She couldn't hold it against Enishi if he didn't know this was supposed to be a special evening, since she'd never told him. And it wasn't very often that they were both in the mood at the same time. This was good.

She slid off the armrest and strolled to the bedroom, swinging her hips a little just in case he was watching. She then climbed onto the bed, pulling back the covers. She arranged herself to be alluring, and waited.

She was tracing the pattern on the spread by the time Enishi appeared at the open door. She smiled to him encouragingly and he came forward taking his shirt off as he walked.

He climbed on top of her and Kaoru put her hands on his arms as she lay back. She knew he didn't like her hands to be too active or wandering. She was generally limited to below-the-waist activity if she wanted to contribute. Otherwise, he preferred it when she lay somewhat still. That was fair enough, everyone liked different things.

Kaoru closed her eyes as his mouth came down on hers. He tasted like steak, but then, she supposed she must do as well. She kissed him back, steadily letting herself go. As his hands slid roughly up her sides, she thought of the Rurouni. It was something she felt bad about, but as long as Enishi never find out, what harm did it do? Ultimately, it was Enishi she was making love to, not anyone else. And frankly, it was necessary in the beginning so that it wouldn't hurt later, because Enishi liked to move fast, and didn't always take the time to… make sure she was comfortable first.

Images of the stripper came easily to her. He fell into place in her mind as easily as the last jigsaw piece. It was his hands on her, though he was touching her more gently, more reverently than Enishi was at the moment. And if she cared to open her eyes, she knew she would find his beautiful, rare violet gaze looking down at her.

She moaned quietly as Enishi moved to her neck, his wandering hand tearing open the silk robe. So this was how it felt when the Rurouni was taking care of you… Enishi gripped her breast hard, and Kaoru effortlessly skipped forward in her mental scenario to that point. She wriggled as heat gathered between her legs, and she sighed again. By now the Rurouni would have told her he loves her and that she is beautiful, only from his lips it wouldn't sound clichéd. She remembered his voice from earlier, and suddenly she had audio to go with the images she was seeing. His voice was so exquisite as he told her again that he loved her.

And now she knew what his touch felt like. She transposed the spark she had felt when he had taken her arm as she was leaving onto the current situation. Imagining it was him, the hand on her breast became sensual and maddening. Fast-forwarding again, she gasped as she imagined that spark tenderly exploring her damp folds. But what was his name again?

"Kenshin," she whispered.

Enishi froze, and when she wondered why, she realised with unprecedented horror that she had spoken aloud. She opened her eyes hesitantly and saw Enishi staring down at her in shock. But then his face collapsed into a portent of fury, and she winced as his fingers bit hard into the flesh of her arms.

"What did you say?" Enishi questioned angrily. "What did you say, you bitch?!" he shouted.

"I'm sorry, Enishi, I-" Kaoru desperately tried to make it better, but he wasn't listening. She was mortified, how could she have done that?!

"Who the fuck-?!" But then Enishi seemed to decide that she didn't deserve talking to. He hauled her up onto her knees and backhanded her across the face so hard she fell off the bed. He had never hit her before, and Kaoru was so shocked, and in so much pain, that she was still seeing stars as he came around the bed and lifted her up again. He dragged her roughly as she tried to keep her feet under her to the front door. As he opened the door, Kaoru saw her handbag sitting on the little table by the door where she always left it, and quickly grabbed it on impulse. Enishi then threw her out into the hallway and slammed the door in her face.

"Enishi, please! I'm sorry, it was an accident, and it doesn't mean anything! Will you let me in?" she called through the door, but got no reply. She didn't want t try again as it would attract the attention of the neighbours. It was a very conservative, proper building, and what they'd already heard was enough to bring most of them to their doors to investigate. And she didn't want to be there, wearing only some lingerie, a thin robe, and some heels.

She quickly arranged her clothes to cover as much of her as possible, and rummaged in her bag for her cell-phone as she walked quickly down the corridor. She found the number for the hired car company she used for special occasions when she needed something special, and put the phone to hear. She hid in the service elevator as she made her call, agreeing to pay any sum if they could just get a car to her building as soon as humanly possible to pick her up in the underground car park.

After that, it was merely a question of hiding behind pillars, shivering and hugging herself tightly, hopping from one foot to the other as she waited for the car to show. Finally, a black Lincoln rolled silently into view and parked by the elevator. She slid into the back, registering the driver's sceptical look in the rear view mirror.

She gave him the only address she could think of where anyone would help her. It was strange, but as she'd waited, she hadn't thought about where she was going at all, it had seemed self-evident. Only once she had spoke the address out loud to the driver that she realised maybe she was being foolish. But she needed her friend, and she knew Megumi would never turn her away when Enishi was the source of the problem.

As the car slid to a stop outside Kenshin's house, the driver looked back at her.

"Are you sure, Ma'am?" he asked worriedly, obviously thinking her current ensemble was not suited to this kind of neighbourhood.

Kaoru smiled at him as best she could. "Don't worry, they're friends," she said, preparing to open the door. "And count yourself a huge tip in the bill, you just about saved my life tonight," she finished, and got out.

She hadn't stopped shivering for the entire ride, even though the car had been heated. She thought she might be in shock, as she trotted up the concrete path to Kenshin's door for the second time that day. She felt hysterical, like she could either laugh like a maniac or break down and cry her heart out. It was few hours past dusk, so she hoped no one could see her, as she knocked and waited for the door to be answered. She could see lights on inside and thought they looked particularly welcoming.

But then the door opened and she was once again face to face with the Rurouni.

"Hi," she said shyly.

The instant he had seen her his eyes had bugged and his eyebrows had practically disappeared into his bangs. His gaze crawled from her face down to her feet in their little strappy shoes.

"Er, hi," he answered, dumbfounded. "This is new," he commented finally, deciding that was the best way to bring up the subject without offending her.

"Yeah, I know. Can I come in? It's kind of cold out here." She smiled jokingly.

Kenshin shook himself as he remembered his manners. "O-of course! Please do," he said, stepping back so that she could hurry in.

Just like before, the others came to investigate as Kenshin closed the door and the Lincoln was heard driving away, having stayed to make sure she was safe. Sano was the first on the scene, strolling out of the living room and screeching to a halt when he saw her.

"Jesus Christ!" he cried unabashedly, looking her over. She scowled at him.

Then Megumi emerged. "Kaoru? What are you doing here? And why are you dressed like that?!" she said, coming closer.

Kaoru didn't really want to do this in the hall, but she felt like she wouldn't be taking another step before they had got the whole story out of her.

"Enishi kicked me out," she said, with a flash of a fake, awkward smile. But then she met her friend's sincerely concerned eyes. "I messed up." Her lip began to tremble, and the taller woman rushed forward to envelop her in a warm hug.

"Oh, Kaoru, it'll be alright, tell me what happened…" she murmured comfortingly. The boys dispersed silently.

Megumi sat Kaoru down in the tiny living room and handed her a tissue. Now that Kaoru was crying, really, properly crying, she was sure she must look a real state. She had been wearing a lot of eyeliner.

"How could he kick you out? It's your apartment," wondered Megumi, kneeling before her friend.

"I deserved it. I did something pretty bad," moaned Kaoru, wincing at the memory of it. But she felt so miserable at being disowned so violently by the man she loved that there wasn't room in her to be embarrassed about it.

"What did you do?" Megumi asked solemnly.

"I said the wrong name." She sniffed. "In bed."

"What name did you say?"

Kaoru gave her a pathetic look.

"Oh…" Megumi did her best to sound commiserating, but Kaoru still looked at her suspiciously. After a moment's staring contest, Megumi couldn't keep it in any longer, and the corner of her lips twitched briefly.

"Are you laughing?!" Kaoru demanded, appalled.

"No! Of course not, it's just… I couldn't have done it better myself," Megumi answered.

Kaoru groaned and threw herself sideways along the length of the short couch, burying her face in the armrest. "He'll never forgive me!"

Megumi moved up to sit in the space in front of Kaoru's stomach, laying her hand on her friend's shoulder. "Maybe this is just the opportunity you needed to see that he's no good for you, Kaoru," she said.

"But I love him."

"Do you? Every time I've criticised him, you've always come to his defence, but you've never said you loved him. If you had, I would have stopped."

Kaoru opened her eyes and found that she didn't have a reply for that. Was it true that she had never said she loved Enishi? Maybe she didn't…

They were interrupted by Kenshin, warily intruding with a cup of tea, with Sano lurking in the background. "Miss Kaoru? I've brought you some tea. Sano and I have to go to work now. We hope you feel better, that we do," he said.

Kaoru sniffed and sat up. The poor guy looked scared, having his home invaded by bawling women in underwear. She reached for the tea and let it warm her hands. "Thank you. I'm very sorry about all this," she said sadly.

"It's no trouble at all, feel free to stay here tonight," he offered, giving her a small, but infinitely kind smile, which she did her best to return.

"You should open a hotel," she joked darkly.

"Really? I thought I already had," he replied, before nodding his goodbye and taking Sano away with him. Once they were gone, Kaoru sipped her tea thoughtfully, until Megumi broke the gloom by slapping her thigh and saying,

"You need clothes. Let's see what I've got that'll fit you."

Hours later, when Kaoru was all cleaned up and dressed for bed, the two women lay awake silently in the dark. Megumi had kindly let her friend take the couch, and was herself sleeping on a makeshift pile of sheets and clothes.

"I never liked it, you know," Kaoru spoke suddenly, staring up at the ceiling, not even sure if Megumi was awake to hear her. "His white hair. I said I did, but I didn't. It creeps me out. And you know it's white everywhere. His junk looks like it belongs to ninety year old man," she said seriously.

The silence returned for a moment, but then Megumi began to chuckle, which Kaoru joined in with, and then they were both laughing until tears ran into their hair.

"Get some sleep, Kaoru," Megumi chastised, but to herself, she recognised what an important step Kaoru had just made, in finally admitting that Enishi could be faulted.


	11. Storylines

**Author's Note: **Wow, seems like you guys are really getting into this! I'm glad, and especially thank you to all you people who take the time to review almost every chapter, if not every chapter! (That was a clumsy sentence but it's an author's note so I don't really have to care about my syntax, do I?) This chapter's all about the revealing of people's pasts. We hear some more about Kaoru, but not the WHOLE story, Sano's story, or at least, what there is of it, and Kenshin's story, by far the most interesting! Sniff, I feel bad for that guy, I couldn't wait to get it in! I'm working away on the story, I've got the next chapter done, and I'm hoping to get 13 done by Friday. After that, things might get a little irregular. I'll be busy. But I'm sure I'll find time for this, with all you wonderful people out there counting on me.

Chapter 11

Kaoru woke up slowly the next morning, not quite wanting to rejoin the world of the living, in which she was sleeping on a stripper's couch wearing borrowed clothes after having been violently dumped, just yet. She hovered in between dreams and reality, until an ache in her face began to disturb her. She reluctantly moved her arm out of the covers, relinquishing her hold on sleep, and touched her cheek. It felt swollen and puffy and it really didn't like being touched. She cringed to think of what it must look like.

At first, she had been puzzled, but she remembered Enishi striking her now. He had never hit her before, and it was understandable considering the circumstances. He had lost control in the heat of the moment. But still, sometimes she wished he wasn't such an aggressive man.

She cracked her eyes open and realised that it must be quite far along in the day, judging by the amount of light coming through the thin curtains. She also saw that Megumi was not in the room with her, and that she had tidied up the room. The makeshift mattress that the older woman had slept on was gone, as were the mugs from the coffee table, and their clothes were folded and out of the way. Kaoru's blue silk robe looked out-of-place as she spotted it beside the couch. She shook her head, never in her whole life had she ever made such a spectacle of herself as she had in the past twenty-four hours.

She supposed it wasn't very polite of her to continue to monopolise Kenshin's couch, so she got up off it and followed Megumi's example, stripping the sheets and pillows and returning it to normal. Before venturing out into the rest of the house, she glance around for a mirror or other reflective surface, but when she didn't find one, she just made do with smoothing her hair out with her fingers. She wasn't overly concerned with her appearance. Looking a bit bedraggled after just getting up was normal, unlike turning up on someone's doorstep in your underwear. She had fallen just about as far as she could go. And besides, though she fantasised about his stage persona, an actual relationship with Kenshin was so unlikely - not to mention that she may still have boyfriend - that she didn't feel compelled to try to impress him.

After doing the best job she could, Kaoru tentatively opened the living room door and stepped out. She heard quiet conversation from a room a little further down the hall stop, and Megumi emerged soon after, already dressed, a mug of coffee in her hand.

As soon as she saw Kaoru, however, her expression changed and she tactlessly cried, "Oh my God, Kaoru, what happened to your face?" She put her mug down on a little table nearby as she hastily crossed over to her friend, who twisted away as Megumi tried to examine her cheek. "Did Enishi do this to you?" she demanded furiously.

"Megumi, it's nothing, he just lost his temper. He was right to," Kaoru answered. She managed to get free from the other woman, only to have her eyes fall on Kenshin, who was standing a few steps behind Megumi, having followed her out of the kitchen. He too was looking at her, but his expression was hard to read.

"Ooh, don't say that," replied Megumi, implying that it would only make her more angry if Kaoru attempted to justify Enishi's behaviour. She began pulling her into the kitchen. "Come on, sit down. Kenshin, do you have any ice? We should see if we can get the swelling to go down."

Their host nodded and began digging around in the small freezer inside the fridge. He was distracted by a knock at the front door, which he left to answer. He came back after a moment with Sano in tow.

The prostitute caught sight of Kaoru and winced, then tipped his head at her swollen cheek. "Guess your boyfriend did more than kick you out last night, huh?" he said sympathetically.

Kaoru glanced at Kenshin angrily, but Sano corrected her. "I know it when I see it, Jou-chan," he said. He came over and squatted beside her chair, gently taking the point of her chin in his warm fingers and turning her cheek to the light. "Don't worry, it won't ruin your looks," he judged, apparently from experience, before smiling warmly at her. "I'd offer to rough him up a bit for you, but you rich people press charges for things like that," he said.

Kaoru tried to smile but felt that it didn't come out quite right. Then Kenshin appeared, proffering some ice wrapped in a tea towel. She thanked him for it and lightly touched it to her face, waiting for the cold to numb her skin before she applied any pressure.

Megumi was still looking at her in confused disappointment from where she sat across from Kaoru. She shook her head, "Why didn't you defend yourself, Kaoru?" she said.

"He only hit me once, Megumi, and he threw me out right after. Besides, I didn't learn martial arts to beat up my boyfriend," Kaoru replied.

"You know martial arts? What kind?" asked Sano, surprised.

"Oh, you know, kendo, karate, a little tai jutsu, that sort of thing," Kaoru answered, trying to sound disinterested. She didn't want to get into it now. It would just start Megumi off again, and she knew how most men reacted to a woman who claimed to be able to wipe the floor with them, they all wanted to prove that she couldn't.

"She used to teach kids for a living, as well as a self-defence class for women, but Enishi made her give it up. He didn't think it very _lady-like_," she sneered scornfully. "He needed to be the bread-winner to feel like a man, even though he helped himself to Kaoru's money often enough," she finished venomously. Her tolerance for the man had been thinning, but it had worn out the second she had seen her friend's cheek, and she was now considering going over there herself to give him a piece of her mind, martial arts or no martial arts.

"Megumi…" Kaoru warned, honestly in no mood for an anti-Enishi tirade just then.

"Kenshin used to be into that stuff, didn't you?" Sano said, continuing the less offensive topic of conversation.

Kaoru turned to the quiet red-head leaning against the counter. "Really?" she said, amazed that she would share something that she treasured with the stripper.

Sano spoke for him. "Oh yeah, you got pretty far with it, didn't you?"

"National and international kenjutsu champion," Kenshin said, but his expression turned morose and his voice lost its pleasant lilt. Those were obviously tainted memories. Something had gone wrong It must have if he was now working as an exotic dancer to make ends meet.

"Show her your sword," said Sano eagerly, making a little crease of irritation form between Kenshin's eyebrows. The younger man noticed his hesitation and added, "Come on, man, don't be stingy. I bet our little recovery patient would love to see it, right Kaoru?"

He moved behind her and put his hands on her shoulders, bending his tall frame so that his face was next to hers. He pouted and looked at Kenshin with puppy-dog eyes.

"You don't have to if you don't want to, I don't want to be any trouble," Kaoru said hurriedly, not wanting to be used as leverage against her host. But Kenshin just sighed in defeat.

"It's no trouble," he said, not entirely convincingly. He pointed angrily at Sano, "I'll do it just to get _you _to stop _embarrassing _yourself," he shot, before leaving the kitchen.

Sano straightened up, looking pleased with himself. "Heh, gets him every time," he said. Megumi rolled her eyes, but he just smiled wider.

Kenshin returned with a katana in a glossy black sheath. Kaoru straightened up as soon as she saw it, feeling as though she needed to show respect in the presence of such an item. He held it out to her, and she floated her fingertips along it, starting at one end and working up to the hilt. She never actually touched it, knowing for sure that she would blemish it with her fingerprints, or some other unforgivable crime.

Since Kaoru was obviously afraid to lay a finger on it, Kenshin gripped the handle and pulled it soundlessly from the sheath. It slid free as if it was lubricated by magic. The blade itself shone too brightly to be called silver. It was flawless, not a single scratch or chip. Kenshin obviously took good care of it, and polished it regularly. It had a weight to it that told her it was _real_, not something mass-produced or commercial. That would have made it insignificant, something that this sword most definitely was not. Her hand was inching towards it before Kaoru realised and stopped herself, curling her fingers into a fist and pulling it back into her lap. She watched as her breath misted on the metal then slowly disappeared.

Kenshin was still standing in front of her as she sat, turned towards him. She realised she must look like an idiot, with her eyes wide and staring, and her mouth open. She shut it and tried to regain her composure, and say something smart.

"And you actually fought with this?" she wondered aloud, astounded.

"A few times, if we were being careful," Kenshin answered. "We used bokken in the competitions, obviously. I'm pretty sure you got disqualified for chopping off a limb, even if it was an accident." Kaoru glanced up at him and saw that he was smiling. He had such a beautiful smile, she felt she could sit and look at it for just as long as she could look at the katana.

Kaoru suddenly remembered the others. Sano was watching their exchange with interest, but he'd obviously seen the sword before. Megumi looked impressed, but not really that interested. Martial arts were not her thing.

"What was your school?" Kaoru asked Kenshin, wanting to get in another question or two before the others got bored and she felt obliged to stop.

"Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu. It's a form of battoujutsu. My master gave me this sword when I graduated. He was a real hard-ass," Kenshin smiled as he remembered, tipping the blade up vertically so that he could see it closely himself.

"Wow," exhaled Kaoru, smiling. "Why did you give it up?" she asked. She regretted it immediately as Kenshin's face closed off bitterly and he dropped his eyes. "Uh - I mean, if you don't mind me asking. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

Kenshin let her ramble on like that as he slid the sword back into its sheath. The black lacquer swallowed the shine of the silver blade like lightning being pulled back into the sky. It felt as if it would require the strength of a god to subdue it. But Kaoru was getting ahead of herself, she knew it was just a sword. She shut up.

"I broke my leg," was Kenshin's succinct reply, his tone clearly stating that it was as far as he was wiling to go.

Sano, however, seemed to have a problem interpreting social cues. He scoffed. "You mean you had your leg broken for you," he commented.

Kenshin glanced at him, frustrated. Kaoru was caught between them, looking back and forth for answers, but not wanting to pry. In the end, Kenshin looked down at her and smiled sweetly, obviously hoping to reassure her that everything was fine.

"They didn't want me competing anymore," he said lightly, as if to say that he didn't mind.

"So they broke your leg?" Kaoru repeated, scandalised.

"Well, it got them what they wanted. I was in and out of hospital for a long time, physiotherapy, having surgery to put pins in and take different pins out. Even I lost track of what's holding me together. It was years before I could walk without a limp, and I never got my speed back. And by that point, I was buried in medical bills, and had more pressing issues to worry about." He smiled again, only this time he wasn't pretending to be fine. This time it made her feel horrible for asking. "And that's how I ended up here, doing what I do. Maybe next time we could ask Sano for his life story, hmm?"

"My life story?" said Sano, wandering round the table to pull out a chair between Kenshin and Megumi to sit on. "My life doesn't have a story."

A dark, depressing atmosphere was settling in.

"I'd better put this back," said Kenshin, holding up his katana, and he left the room, taking longer than he did to get the sword to come back.

Kaoru removed the ice from her face. It had started to melt, sending water trickling down her neck and arm. "I'd better go get ready," she said, and she too left the room. Only when she got to the bathroom did she remember that she didn't have anything with her, but she made do the best she could. Her cheek didn't look as bad as it felt, just a bit chipmunk-y on one side. It hadn't started to bruise yet, and she wasn't looking forward to when it did.

Back in the kitchen, now they were alone, Megumi decided on a rash and daring move. She left her own seat and sat on Sano's lap, feeling nervous like a teenager, afraid that he would think she was being weird. But he leant back and opened his arms for her, wrapping them around her waist once she was settled and leaning his chin on her shoulder. She covered his hands with her own. They were still feeling the lingering sadness that came with the quagmire of emotions stirred up by the retelling of Kenshin's past.

Megumi tilted her head back onto Sano's shoulder. He looked at her out of the corner of his eye.

"_I_ want to hear your life story," she said quietly.

"There's not much to tell," he replied awkwardly, since his jaw was currently supporting the weight of his head.

"Still. How did you end up doing what you do?" she pursued.

Sano groaned as if he was having trouble remembering, and took his head off her shoulder. "No friends or family worth anything, not enough brains to stay in school. The first time was just an easy way to make a few bucks, and I guess I never really got out of it," he said. He looked at her again, trying to look confident but not really finding the energy. He was more concerned with her reaction to his story. It wasn't nearly as interesting or romantic as Kenshin's. "See? Pretty average," he concluded.

Megumi looked back at him. She smoothed her hands along his arms where they rested against her stomach. "So nothing bad happened to you?" she verified.

Sano shook his head as much as he could with her so close. "It hasn't all been sunshine and roses, obviously, there's some stuff I wouldn't be telling the Church group, but I haven't lost anything the way Kenshin has. Is that what you wanted to know?"

Megumi nodded, and gently pulled him in for a kiss with an awkward hand behind his head.

"A-ah, now, Sano, what did I tell you? As long as you're under this roof, you're off duty," said Kenshin, as he came back through the kitchen doorway.

The couple broke apart, but Sano kept a stubborn grip around Megumi's waist. "You need to find a new place to live," he murmured against her cheek in mock frustration as a joke.

"Actually, now that Kaoru's kind of homeless too, she offered to put me up in a hotel with her, since she can still afford it," Megumi remembered cheerfully.

"Oh, well, that's…" Kenshin began, looking at Sano.

"Yeah," agreed the younger man, looking back at him.

Kenshin would be glad to have his house back to normal again, without all the emotional drama that came with having Megumi living with him, but at the same time, both men recognised that they were reluctant to let the women go. If Kaoru left and took Megumi away with her to a hotel that was up to the standards they were used to, then chances were that they wouldn't be seeing them again for a while. Kaoru especially would have no reason to ever see either of them again, if she had meant what she said about not coming to the club anymore. And presumably, she intended to make up with Enishi, though she shouldn't. And Sano wouldn't be seeing Megumi again until access to her accounts was restored to her, assuming it ever was, and assuming she was still interested by then.

It seemed strange, having sort of become friends with the women, to realize that it had really only been two days that they had been living in such close quarters, like a family. However, Megumi would probably still seek their advice on dealing with Shinomori, if and when he got back to them, and Kaoru would most likely wish to stand by her friend.

But either way, Kenshin was forced to remind himself that, although their path had crossed temporarily, he and Sano were from a completely different world from the two women, and to think otherwise was not a good idea. He couldn't let himself get too attached. He would just have to be satisfied with having his life return to the way it had been before Sano had ever turned up on his doorstep asking for a place to stash his client for a few days. He was a little surprised to think of that not being enough anymore.


	12. Hotel, Sweet Hotel

**Author's Note: **Aww, much less reviews for the last chapter! Oh well, I'm not a review-whore, I can live with that. However, I dread to think of the meagre offering I'll get for this chapter, since there are no major plot developments, or romantic moments (hardly any character interaction at all, even) and it's pretty short. However, we're getting back on track, because NEXT chapter is a big plot reveal, and the chapter after that should be a major Sano/Megumi moment. I think we might be out of the Kenshin/Kaoru waters now.

Chapter 12

Megumi had moved out of Kenshin's house the day before. Having given her car away to Shinomori as payment, they had been forced to take a series of busses uptown in order to retrieve Kaoru's own car from the secure lot under her apartment building. Megumi had been worried that Kaoru would insist on going up to see Enishi and beg him to take her back, but all the younger woman did was cast a conflicted look of longing up at the building, before heading inside to take the elevator down without another word. Megumi was encouraged by this suggestion that her friend was slowly freeing herself from Enishi's abusive hold.

She had already explained to Kaoru about her own car during the long bus ride. Her reaction had been one of concern, unsure of how safe it was to be dealing with criminal kingpins, but Megumi could tell that the stifled adventurous side of her was just jealous that she hadn't been there to come face to face with a real live pimp. Overall, Kaoru seemed impressed that Megumi was adapting so well to the different environment. Most society ladies wouldn't have been able to handle employing a prostitute, not to mention living with a stripper and organising business transactions with crime lords, but Megumi hardly seemed to notice. Kaoru supposed she wasn't the only one who liked to take a walk on the wild side every now and then.

It was true that Kenshin and Sano's world, although undeniably much harsher and crueller, was also much more colourful and generous. It was a world where your next meal meant waiting in the cold for a stranger to make an offer on your body, or abandoning your pride to pander to the lusts of a darkened room full of women, dancing in not much more than you were born in. But when all of Megumi's well-off and well-bred friends made her a pariah, it was those same men who had taken her in. Kenshin had opened his door to her on Sano's word alone, and he hadn't even had that when Kaoru had turned up on his doorstep in need of a friend.

Megumi was glad she hadn't needed to stay long enough to wear out her welcome. After picking up Kaoru's car, they had driven to a hotel. It wasn't four-star - Kaoru was economising since she didn't know how long she would have to stay there - but it wasn't a tourist trap either. The room was basically filled by the two generously-sized single beds, which were the insanely plush and comfortable kind that you can never replicate at home, but it had a thick carpet, thick curtains, and the TV remote was not nailed to the bedside table. The bathroom was a little small for two people, but it was always going to be.

Spending the night there felt like a strange cross between how she was used to living and how she had spent the last couple of nights. Money had been spent here, which felt so familiar to Megumi, but having Kaoru in the next bed made it feel like a school trip, as if she was still slumming it just a little.

They had gone shopping after booking the room and dumping Megumi's things, because Kaoru still didn't have any clothes of her own, or any other essentials like a toothbrush. They ate lunch at the same restaurant they always did whenever they went shopping together, and then they hit the boulevard. By the end of the day, Megumi felt happier than she had in a while, able to forget about the case, despite not being able to buy anything herself. They ate dinner at the hotel restaurant before retiring to their room. While Kaoru put away her purchases, tearing off all the tags and throwing away all the packaging, Megumi found she had nothing to do. She had never really been one for watching much TV, and it was still way too early to go to bed.

She ended up thinking about the men downtown, about what they would be doing now, wondering what they were thinking and if they had anything to say about the new distance between them.

"Do you think we should call the others and let them know where we are?" Megumi asked Kaoru conversationally.

"Yeah, good idea," replied Kaoru from in front of the wardrobe.

Megumi had to ask the hotel switchboard for Information since she didn't know Kenshin's phone number. Only when she had got to that point did she realise that she didn't know his last name either, nor could she remember his address. Kaoru, however, could, since she was the one who had had to drive or be driven there twice the day before. Megumi had decided to phone Kenshin's house because she had even less of an idea of how to find Sano. He had always been careful to keep her away from where he lived, and she wasn't a hundred percent on his last name, having only read it once when she had demanded proof of age from him on the first night she had picked him up. She looked back on her behaviour that night and winced, she had been kind of a bitch.

She had faith that Kenshin would pass on to Sano where they were. Hopefully, Kenshin wouldn't have left for work yet, nor did she want to disturb him if he was getting ready.

He picked up after quite a few rings, but he didn't sound put out.

"Hello?"

"Er, hi, Kenshin, it's Megumi," she said, finding that she was suddenly nervous. She really didn't know this man very well, after all, and she had only left his house that morning. Maybe she should have given him more time to enjoy getting her out of his hair, so to speak.

But he sounded pleased enough to hear from her. "Oh, how are you?" he said.

"I'm fine. We've found a hotel, just bought Kaoru all new clothes, so we're all set up," she replied over-eagerly. Kaoru turned to watch the conversation at the mention of her name.

"Good," answered Kenshin. An awkward silence followed, and to break it, Megumi quickly asked,

"Is Sano there?"

"No, I'm afraid not. Do you want his number?"

Megumi hadn't been angling for it, but at the suggestion, she realised that she did want it quite a bit actually. She wanted to be able to contact Sano and to hear his voice whenever she wanted. She realised that without a car of her own, it would be virtually impossible for them to meet for "business" again any time soon. Then she worried over why it had taken her that long to think about that side of their relationship. She had become more concerned with having him near her and enjoying his company, than with having a tall man satisfy her sexual appetite.

"Yes, please," she said, and Kenshin dictated the number to her, which she wrote down on some handy hotel stationery. When that was done, she used the opportunity to tell him the name of the hotel and their room number, in case they ever needed to get in touch. Finally she asked if he had heard from Shinomori, which he told her he hadn't.

After she hung up, Kaoru said "I'm going to take a shower, if you don't want the bathroom first?"

"No, you go ahead," said Megumi, and the younger woman disappeared into the bathroom, locking the door behind her. Megumi looked at the number she had just been given. Honestly, she felt like calling him, but what did she have to say? What if it seemed like stalking, or if she came across as needy and clingy? She supposed that he wouldn't really care either way, since anything they did together, he did for money. She could be as suffocating as she liked as long as she paid him well. Only she couldn't pay him, not for the moment anyway, so maybe he wouldn't appreciate her call. And there was always the risk of a painful silence, that would be terrible. It was perfectly possible that they would end up not having anything to say to each other.

On the other hand, now might be the only private moment she would get for a while. The sound of the shower would drown out her conversation. And she could always say she was just updating him on their contact information for a cover. She dialled the number.

He picked up. "Hello," he said neutrally, but a naughty thrill went through her all the same.

"Hello, Zanza," she murmured back to him.

"Kitsune, can't go a day without me, I see," he replied, laughing, though not without his own seductive, masculine lilt.

"It's the nights I'm worried about," she said, playing along.

He laughed again. "Steady, aren't you with Kaoru?" he asked, still teasing, but not serious about it.

"She's in the shower, but yeah, we've got a hotel to live in for a few days. It's nice," she said, also dropping her husky tone.

"Beats Kenshin's couch, I'm sure."

Megumi just hmm-ed in reply.

"Is she going to go back to her boyfriend?" he asked. Sano had a way of talking about Kaoru's abusive relationship without judging either of the people involved, as if no one was doing anything wrong. It made Megumi think that he had seen too much of it in his life.

"Not if I have anything to say about it. She didn't try to see him today when we went to get her car," Megumi answered.

"Well, you know you can't force her. If she wants to get away from him, she has to come to it on her own," Sano advised wisely.

Megumi had a thought. "Sano, what do you think about her and Kenshin getting together?"

The fact that he didn't laugh told her that he'd had the same thought. "Kenshin won't date a customer, he says it's unprofessional. I've tried that already, anyway, back when she was leaving him sweet little love-notes."

"But she's not a customer anymore, remember? She said she wasn't going to go back to the club," Megumi pointed out.

"Hmm, well, maybe, in that case. I don't know. I don't think they'd appreciate us sticking our noses in. But it's interesting that you think those two would get along," said Sano, his tone changing.

"Why wouldn't they?" asked Megumi, confused.

"Well, you know… She's a bit… uptown. Most people wouldn't pair a nice rich girl like her up with a stripper," Sano explained.

"The same could be said about us, but we get along, don't we?" retorted Megumi defensively.

"Yeah, Kitsune, I guess we do," Sano said cryptically, as if he was thinking about something more. Megumi wasn't sure what to say, but then he spoke again, changing the subject. "So, are you done missing me?" He was teasing her again.

"Less and less every second," she jibed. "Why? Do you miss me?"

He laughed, but he didn't answer. "Maybe I should just come see you in that fancy hotel of yours," he said.

"If you do, it would have to be pro bono, since I doubt Kaoru would be willing to stump up the cash for _that_," Megumi replied, joking.

"We could just hang out," said Sano, in a tone that made Megumi think suddenly that maybe she'd said the wrong thing. But then he laughed again, even if it was a little strained this time. "Or I could just open a tab for you, keep track of everything you owe me for when you're proven innocent and get your money back," he said.

"And if I'm not proven innocent?"

Sano was suddenly serious, his voice kind. "You will be."

Megumi sighed. "Let's just hope Shinomori finds something, huh?"

"Even if he doesn't, we'll keep trying," Sano reassured her. Megumi was suddenly depressed, and couldn't think of an answer. Sano seemed to sense it, "Do you want me to come over?" he offered.

She did, she really did. Not even for sex, but just because he always made her feel better with his generally jovial attitude to life. But she really didn't think it was feasible as long as she was sharing a room.

"No, it's okay." She wondered idly if he had to work that night anyway. "I'll see you whenever we hear back from Shinomori," she said.

"Okay, Kitsune, I'll be waiting."

They said their goodbyes and rung off, and by the time Kaoru emerged from the bathroom several minutes later, Megumi was feeling more confused and conflicted and gloomy than ever.

"Hey, Kaoru?" she called to her friend on an impulse. "Wanna get some room-service?"

Kaoru grinned her agreement, and they spent the next few hours washing whipped cream and pastry down with wine and flirting with the increasingly-uncomfortable teenage busboy.

OoO

That was yesterday. Today, they sat demurely enjoying the continental breakfast buffet on the ground floor of the hotel. They ate the fruit, and drank many of the small cups of coffee, but stayed away from the croissants, having eaten enough of that sort of thing the night before to last them for quite a while. They dawdled, chatting and thumbing through a complimentary newspaper for a few hours, knowing that they didn't have anywhere else to be or anything else to do that day.

However, around eleven o'clock, a clerk came up to them with a message that someone had phoned in to the front desk, namely that Shinomori had arranged a meeting with them later that day, and that he hadn't returned the car.


	13. Faith

Chapter 13

The whole gang - namely Megumi, Sano, Kenshin, and Kaoru - were hovering uncertainly outside an establishment called The Aoiya. It was a building whose function was hard to classify. Primarily, it was the base of operations for the Oniwabanshuu, but Shinomori was loathe to maintain something without turning a profit in some way, so the public part of the building was part brothel, part nightclub, and part traditional tea room. Its proprietor was, first and foremost, a pimp, and so the marketing of flesh was a big part of the business, but that was hardly classy enough to host the big-money deals that Shinomori made, hence the tea rooms upstairs.

The man also understood that business partners tended not to spend much money, especially on whores, during their visits, and so something for the innocent paying public was required, hence the nightclub. The ground floor was mostly dance floor, with a bar, and rooms at the back if one of the Oniwabanshuu girls or boys caught your eye. The club was a smart move. It made bouncers at the front door inconspicuous, and any police raids would have to fight their way through the throng to reach anyone of any importance, and risk the lives of innocent young bystanders.

But it was to here that Shinomori had summoned them, and so they nervously approached the heavy at the door. The security guard was built like a meat locker, and his head was shaved. He was wearing a black t-shirt tucked into black slacks, and Megumi estimated that if she hugged him around the chest, her hands would not meet behind his back, and it was all muscle. He was also wearing a black suit jacket, the only purpose for which had to be conceal a gun. He didn't even look at them as they approached, as if they really weren't there at all.

"Shinomori asked to see us," announced Megumi, standing at the head of the group, trying not to be intimidated. It was just rude to invite people and then try to scare them. The guard's pale eyes swept over them briefly, then returned to staring down the street, refusing to be distracted for a moment.

"Who's that?" he asked in a low voice that wasn't nearly as uncivilised as Megumi had expected, nodding at Kaoru. He must have been told to expect Megumi and the two men, but the other woman was new.

"She's a friend of mine," explained Megumi, hesitating to give him a name.

"I'm going to have to check her," he said quickly. Kaoru stepped forward tentatively. "Just doing my job, Miss," he spoke apologetically. He frisked her at lightning speed, his hands sweeping down her arms and legs and across her stomach and back, searching for a weapon or a wire. It was so fast, Kaoru was left feeling confused, as if she'd just been molested by a whirlwind. She tried not to smile - his big hands had been so gentle, they had tickled. He had kept his eyes pinned to the street behind Kaoru, ever the vigilant watchdog.

"You're alright. The cloakroom attendant will take you to the Boss," he finished gruffly, unhooking his velvet rope and letting them in.

Inside, a woman was waiting behind a counter just in front of the door leading to the dance floor, loud music coming from the other side. The whole building had to be soundproofed seven ways to Sunday to achieve the kind of quiet Shinomori would require for his headquarters.

"Excuse me, Shinomori asked to see us," Kenshin said politely to the bored-looking woman. She gave them a brief once-over.

"Just a minute," she said, and disappeared behind a partition. She returned with another woman to take her place. "This way, please," and she walked out around the counter and through to the club without waiting to see if they were following. The music swelled out to meet them and they submerged themselves in it, going after the woman.

The room was dark, with a faintly blue tinge from neon lights outlining the bar in the middle and a barrier around the edge which cordoned off a platform carrying tables. Above their heads, scantily clad women danced in cages and on stages with poles. Their guide manoeuvred through the undulating, writhing crowd with the grace and practiced ease of a dancer who was used to it, but the others got more than their fair share of elbows and feet.

The woman took them through an inconspicuous black metal door, giving them a glance of a corridor lined with much thinner black doors, with a pink carpet and pink walls. They could guess what went on there, despite not seeing much as they were immediately ushered into a ninety degree turn through the only door on the left side.

They found themselves in a well-lit room with a low table ringed by a semi-circular couch. Sitting on it and facing the door was Shinomori. On either side of him was a member of the Oniwabanshuu, one male and one female. The woman who had led them there gestured for them to sit on low stools, like ottomans, on the other side of the table, then removed herself.

Shinomori nodded to them curtly in greeting. Megumi spoke first, anxious to know if he had found anything that could decide her fate.

"Thank you for seeing us, Shinomori-san," she said respectfully. "Were you able to find anything?"

"A new drug has recently appeared on the streets," he began, watching them carefully. "I believe it is related to your hospital, as I have been unable to trace any evidence of importation or even of its existence outside of this city, and it is chemical rather than organic. It seems to be of a medicinal quality, but there are no official records of such a drug existing. Do you have any idea what I'm talking about?" he said. His companions kept their attention on the group, though their faces were blank as if they weren't listening. They were meant to be intimidating, like the man on the door. It was clear that it would be next possible to surprise the Okashira, even his subordinates were scary in a ninja kind of way.

Megumi shook her head. "No, what does it do?" she replied.

"It's a powerful hallucinogen." Shinomori seemed to relax a fraction, believing that they honestly were not aware of what he was about to tell them. "People are calling it 'Faith,' because it is rumoured to make you believe in Heaven. However, it seems to have some unfortunate side-effects. The drug is volatile, and in fifty per cent of cases, it backfires. A bad trip makes the consumer experience truly hellish visions, the Devil's worst nightmares. One victim tore his eyes out in an effort to escape what he was seeing, others have already died under its influence, killing themselves or suffering heart-attacks, literally scared to death."

"That's terrible… And you think it's connected to the money being stolen?" asked Megumi, horrified that her life's work could be being used for such evil.

"Well, the drug was obviously developed by experts, such a pharmaceutical department at a hospital. The only thing I have been able to find out about the person orchestrating its release onto the streets is that it's someone new. None of my connections have had anything to do with this person prior to this, which is unusual," said Shinomori, not an ounce of emotion at what he was saying visible in his voice, despite how horrible it was. It was clear that he wouldn't give the matter another thought once they left his sight.

Megumi thought hard. She tried to remember anything she could about any new drugs being developed, anything hallucinogenic, but she couldn't. She was involved in dozens of development projects at dozens of hospitals and clinics. And anything that had side-effects like that would never be mass-produced.

She wanted to believe that Shinomori was mistaken, that this new drug was unrelated to the embezzlement going on uptown, but at the same time, everything he said had made sense, and it was the only lead she had. She had to find whoever it was that was ruining her life and that of countless others and stop them.

"I have a sample of the drug here," offered Shinomori, tossing a small polythene bag across the table. Inside were two white pills that looked just like aspirin, except they had a tiny pair of wings set into them as a brand.

"Thank you. You've been a great help, Shinomori-san," replied Megumi, pocketing the narcotics. She sensed that everything had been said, and now she was growing desperate to be out of there. She could feel her composure slipping.

She stood up and said goodbye again, bowing slightly to the pimp, before turning and quickly exiting the room. Sano went after her, while Kenshin stayed to excuse themselves more politely, leaving Kaoru to hover between him and the door uncertainly.

Megumi forced her way through the crowd. The pounding beat of the music, the flashing coloured lights in the dark, and the jostling of hot bodies unbalancing her all made her feel as if she was slightly high herself. The pills felt like bars of lead in her pocket. She didn't stop or slow down until she was outside by Kaoru's car, forced to wait for her to come with the keys. She paced with agitation, her arms crossed over herself and her head lowered.

She was going to go to jail because some scumbag, probably someone she knew, who had lied to her face and pretended to be her friend, wanted to make money by selling a poison that had probably been manufactured by one of her labs. She had become what she was because she had wanted to help people, and she had the brains and resources to do it on a large scale, with many hospitals and clinics at once. But now it seemed that she had somehow funded an illegal narcotics operation that was causing people to lose their lives. Someone had taken advantage of and manipulated her, and the whole world thought she was the evil one, and she was going to go down for it. At the moment, the charges were only for embezzling the money, but if the police cared to investigate this new drug, then it wouldn't be long before they discovered the connection. If the person behind it all had done a thorough enough job, then it probably looked like she was behind the pills as well.

The question was, what to do now?

A man's hand grabbed her arm and spun her to face him. "Hey, are you alright?" said Sano. He looked concerned and afraid at her reaction. She sighed and forced herself to calm down.

"This just keeps getting worse," she said.

"But we're getting somewhere, that's good, right?" he encouraged, trying to get her to look at him properly.

"I don't know. I mean, how can I live knowing that I've been a party to people's deaths? I might not know the details, but I raised the money used to produce this stuff," She snatched the tiny bag from her pocket and brandished it between them. "And it was done right under my nose. Hell, I probably even approved it!"

"This is _not _your fault," said Sano sternly, determined to convince her. "We're going to find out who did this."

"How? With what money, and whose help? I'm not Nancy Drew, for Christ's sake. I don't even know where to start clearing my name. Face it, Sano, I'm going to jail, I'd better get used to the idea." She looked away from him, angry and despairing.

"Don't say that, you're not going anywhere," Sano insisted.

Megumi made a frustrated noise and turned on him. "Give it _up_. It's not like you can help me, you're just a…" She shut her mouth quickly, looking like she had just swallowed an insect.

"Just a prostitute," he finished for her, his voice suddenly not so kind. He let his hands drop from her arms. "Is that what you were going to say?"

Megumi frowned, staring at something in the distance rather than at him. She didn't mean to say it, she hadn't intended for it to come out so _ugly_, but who were they kidding? It was true, and they both needed to accept that. They were already too involved as it was, spending so much time together. Why were they trying to fool themselves? It's not like they could have a future together. What did Sano expect? That they would get married? There was over ten years between them, and at the moment, it looked like Megumi would be blacklisted forever if she was lucky. Unless they could find whoever was framing her, their domestic bliss would be riddled by poverty, which would turn to bitterness, probably with a healthy dose of jealousy thrown in given Sano's profession. They were a mess, and nothing could, or should, come of that.

And how dare he try to put this on her _now_? As if she didn't have enough on her plate. This relationship was meant to be fun, easy, never more than that. Couldn't he let it go? Couldn't he have some understanding? He'd been wonderful up till now, more than a dream, but he couldn't forgive her one little moment of stress. And she hadn't even said it, she'd stopped herself in time.

She curled up on herself, shutting him out. It would be simpler to be alone, at least until she was no longer being investigated by the police.

"I don't need this right now," she said, the words coming out harder than she'd expected.

"Right. Me neither," he agreed, and she insisted to herself that the venom dripping from what he'd said was unjustified.

The car beside them unlocked from a distance, lights flashing. They both looked up to see Kenshin and Kaoru walking over to them. The others opened the doors to get in, but stopped when Sano and Megumi stood frozen.

"Everything alright?" asked Kenshin, while Kaoru's eyes flicked between them.

"Yeah, man, I just think I'm gonna walk, alright? See you later," said Sano, walking away before anyone could reply, flicking up the collar of his shirt against his neck and stuffing his hands in his pockets.

When he was gone, Megumi wrenched open the back door of the car and got in before they asked her what was wrong. Inside, she stared determinedly out of the window, and they drove home in silence.

**Author's Note:** Okaaaay, new chapter, guys. Took longer this time, I know. But only a week or so, right? Anyway, here's Megumi's bitchy attitude rearing its ugly head again. But don't worry, by the end of the next chapter, they should have their relationship sort of sorted out, and then they just need to solve the crime! I wonder what your reactions will be when you find out who it is? Hmm-hmm, I don't want to say anymore than that.


	14. Dear, Sano

**Author's Note:** Hey guys. So, I know you're all waiting for the big Sano/Megumi scene, but you're going to have to sit through a bit more of Kenshin/Kaoru first before you get there. So, yeah, next chapter. I'm such a little tease, aren't I? Please don't lose interest/flame me/kill me in my sleep. It's just K/K is so tempting for me, and easier too, since they're what I'm used to. Kenshin is hot, and I love the character for Kaoru that I've created in this, the confused, half-weak, half-strong, blind and dependant person who is slowly freeing themselves from all that. Mwuhahaha, cliff hanger, as well. Thank you to everyone who reviewed, especially Cosmicfish, I look forward to yours. I tried to make this chapter longer than usual, I know they've been getting short recently.

Chapter 14

Megumi stayed quiet for the rest of the evening, but Kaoru didn't think much of it. After all, it was understandable if she had a lot on her mind, Shinomori had given her quite a story. The idea that whoever was embezzling the money from the hospital was using it to fund a narcotics operation just made things so much worse. Kaoru decided it was best to give her friend the time and space she needed. She would talk when she was ready.

The next morning, the older woman was lying apathetically in bed when Kaoru went to take her shower, and when she came out again, Megumi was sitting up under the covers, looking out of the window with her mobile in her hand. She wasn't moving, and now Kaoru was beginning to get worried.

"What's up?" she asked tentatively.

Megumi lifted the phone an inch or two before letting it flop back onto the covers. "My landlord just called. He says if I can't pay the rent, he's going to put my apartment on the market in a week. I'm being evicted," she said, still staring into the distance. Her voice had a careless, far-away tone to it, and the ghost of a frown had formed on her brow.

"Don't worry. We'll get this all sorted out, you'll see," Kaoru told her, but Megumi didn't reply. She tried to get her moving, energised a bit. "Come on, get dressed, we'll go to breakfast."

"You go," Megumi said, languidly tearing her eyes away from the window. "I need some time to think."

Kaoru bit her lip, but ultimately she left her friend alone. She finished dressing and then left the room, heading downstairs to the dining room. Kaoru knew how annoying it was to keep getting pestered about something personal. Sometimes, other people thought you had a problem, when really it was nothing, and none of their business. So although Megumi had spent the last couple of years hassling her about Enishi, she wouldn't do the same to her.

However, she did not deliberately waste time, returning to the room less than an hour later. There she found Megumi dressed and walking around as if she had made up her mind about something.

"Can you give this to Sano, please?" she said, handing Kaoru something in one of the hotel's envelopes. "There's something I need to do."

The way Megumi was looking at her, as if it was absolutely vital that she carry out this simple task, made Kaoru agree. She was hesitant about it, she didn't understand why her friend was acting so frantic without seeming happy at all, or what it was that Megumi had to do, but it was obviously important.

Almost as soon as the unsure "Y-yes," was out of Kaoru's mouth, Megumi thanked her and was out of the door. Kaoru stared after her for a minute, trying to figure it all out. She looked around the room, hoping to find a clue of some sort, but all she saw was that Megumi hadn't tidied up after herself the way she normally did. Things were far from messy, but the bed had creases in it, her clothes were not in the wardrobe, and the dresser was still strewn with Megumi belongings, such as her keys, and phone. Kaoru wandered where she had gone where she wouldn't need any of those things. It must be somewhere nearby, she reasoned, and she didn't plan to be gone long.

Kaoru looked down at the letter in her hand, curious about what it could say that was so urgent. Obviously, Megumi had meant for the envelope to reach the man as soon as possible, so Kaoru picked up her handbag and headed out, still none the wiser.

She pulled up in front of Kenshin's house, her stomach in a knot. She had no idea how else to reach Megumi's prostitute friend, so she had been forced to come to the only contact she had for him, but she didn't like it. It was embarrassing, turning up on his doorstep unannounced yet again. It had been less than twenty four hours since she had last seen him, he would undoubtedly start to imagine she was stalking him. She couldn't blame him.

Kaoru sighed heavily, and slapped the envelope against her palm. She had come up with multiple theories of what it could be on the drive over. At first she had thought it was money, since what else did you give a prostitute, but she couldn't imagine where Megumi could have found any money, having even sold her car. So Kaoru eventually settled on the theory that it was a letter asking him to meet her somewhere, wherever she had rushed off to, which made Kaoru feel a bit put out at being used as a courier service.

But she couldn't be sure of it until she delivered the letter, so with a deep, bracing breath, she got out of the car and walked to Kenshin's front door. She knocked, and it was opened by a tired looking redhead. On seeing her standing there apologetically, he sighed and leaned against the jam, closing his eyes.

"I was _this _close to having a full night's sleep," he said jovially, and he smiled at her.

Kaoru recognised the same baggy black pants that he had opened the door in the first time, but at least he was wearing a shirt this time, it was a faded magenta colour and made of some soft, threadbare material. He hadn't done any of the buttons on it though, so although it was more modest than previously, it did still afford a view of a four inch strip of uninterrupted skin from his collarbone to his waistband.

"I'm really sorry about his, but Megumi asked me to give Sano something, and I didn't know where else to look," Kaoru explained, holding up the letter.

Kenshin smiled again. "Come in," he said, holding the door open for her. She stepped inside nervously. Kenshin walked past her to the kitchen, and she followed. He was hunched over the counter next to where the phone hung on the wall, writing something on a small pad of paper.

"This is Sano's address. If you need him, you can go there. Let him get dragged out of bed for once," said Kenshin, still without any indication in his voice that he was angry at having to answer the door. He sounded like he was joking, and looking forward to having his revenge on Sano. "In fact, I'll come with you. I'll just get dressed quickly," he added as an afterthought, holding the address out to Kaoru. She took it, and Kenshin disappeared into his bedroom.

As she waited, Kaoru looked around the kitchen absent-mindedly. She had been in it before, but now she was alone, and free to move without appearing nosey. Her eyes fell on a timetable stuck to the fridge, marking the hours that Kenshin was due to perform at the club. Over each little box, he had scribbled either "Rurouni" or "Battousai" in black pen. Kaoru had had her idol's schedule memorised for so long that it seemed funny to see it written down. Of course, that was back when he was just a fantasy, something attractive to enjoy, with about as much personality or history as a Ken doll. Now he was a person, a kind and generous, slightly vindictive person, an international kenjutsu champion before he had been cheated out of what he loved. It was impossible to objectify him the way she once had. The idea of the Rurouni was ruined for her now, she knew that even if she did go back to the club, she would only ever see Kenshin, and she didn't want to see that man prostituting himself for her.

Kenshin came back into the kitchen and she turned away from the timetable. He was dressed in simple jeans and a t-shirt, his hair tied back. "Ready to go?" he asked.

"Yeah, sure," she answered, but when she moved away from the fridge, Kenshin noticed what she had been looking at, and as they walked through the house to the car, he said,

"You missed a show," he teased lightly. "First time that's happened in a while."

"Hmm," was Kaoru's reply. She wasn't going to ignore his comment and be impolite, but it made her uncomfortable. Not only did it embarrass her by reminding her of the deluded pervert she had been, but also put her in the awkward position of deciding whether or not to tell him about her decision to end her patronage of Cupid's Arrow. Would he take it personally? But if she didn't tell him, then surely that would just be rude, especially since they were now acquaintances of sorts. She decided it would probably be best to tell him, and hope he didn't make a thing of it.

"Actually, I don't think I'm going to go anymore," she said, grateful for the distraction of unlocking the car so that she didn't have to look at him.

"Why not?" he asked as they climbed in. Kaoru shrugged noncommittally. "Do you feel differently now that we've met in person?" he suggested astutely.

Kaoru was relieved that he understood, but it was still the sort of conversation she hated having. Good rarely came from talking about her feelings.

"Basically," she agreed, paying close attention to starting the car and pulling out into the road. "But I shouldn't have gone in the first place," she added, trying to talk around her cringing to express her shame.

"Why not?" said Kenshin. Kaoru cursed him for not letting it drop.

"Because… it's disrespectful. You're a person, not a piece of meat." She kept her eyes on the road.

"I don't mind. It's my job. Maybe it's not what I'd prefer to be doing, but if I hated it that much, I'd find something else," Kenshin said. He was watching her carefully, turned towards her in the passenger seat.

Kaoru didn't have an answer, and she didn't want the conversation to continue, so she stayed silent. A moment passed, and she thought maybe she'd got away with it, that he'd let it go, but then he said quietly, intrusively, "It's okay to want something, Kaoru."

She couldn't keep her eyes from flicking across to him, reclining against the door, his gaze laid steadily on her. He looked so tempting that it was almost cruel of him to talk to her like that. What did he mean anyway? _It's okay to want something_. Did he mean him personally, or just in general? Was it advice from one friend to another, or an invitation? Why hadn't he said _someone_ instead of _something_?

Was he telling her that she could have him if she wanted? Kaoru found that hard to believe, and it would be very dangerous territory if she did. She couldn't allow herself to consider pursuing a relationship with him, of making her fantasies a reality. She wouldn't survive it if she had misunderstood, and he wasn't interested in her that way. She would have to give up Enishi if she was going to go down that path, and he was all she had. But more worryingly still, she had the gnawing fear that just to look down that road was perilous, because if she saw what life with Kenshin could be like, she was afraid Enishi wouldn't be enough anymore. She could feel herself teetering on the edge of falling for the redheaded gentleman, and that wasn't a risk she was willing to take. She wanted to keep her blinders on, keep on the path she knew, what was safe and familiar, with Enishi.

She shifted anxiously in her seat as she remembered that she may not have Enishi anymore. They had not parted on anything resembling good terms, and she hadn't heard from him in a few days. What would she do if Enishi never contacted her, if she was really cast off, on her own, free? Well, she wouldn't linger, she wouldn't hover in Limbo. If she didn't hear from him after a certain amount of time, she would seek her own conclusion. She would assume it was over for him, and end it for herself as well. Eventually.

Kenshin's words had struck a cord in her, though. She wanted to think that they were unnecessary, that she did things for herself all the time, but the unsettling truth was that she couldn't remember the last time she did something _because _it was important to her, because it made _her _happy. She'd quit her job for Enishi, and hadn't replaced it with anything creative or fulfilling, just housework and chores. It occurred to her that Enishi could be the thing she did for herself. After all, she was always defending him against Megumi, wasn't she? She was always cooking and cleaning and looking pretty for him, wasn't she?

Her eyebrows drew together in concern. That didn't make her happy.

"Turn left here," spoke Kenshin suddenly, startling her out of her thoughts. Kaoru followed his instructions through the narrow streets of downtown, concentrating on the complicated traffic layout of one-way streets and No-Entries instead of untangling her complex emotions.

Eventually, they came to a run-down apartment block, built out of dark dirty brick, with most of the ground floor windows covered with graffitied plywood. It was the kind of place that Kaoru would never have set foot near if she was alone, even during the day. She couldn't see a car anywhere nearby, and she worried for the safety of her own.

"Don't worry, we won't be long," Kenshin reassured her, getting out of the car. Kaoru followed, making sure to lock up after she got out, and watched as Kenshin pressed one of several identical buttons set into the wall beside the door. Any labels they had ever had denoting to which inhabitants they belonged were either crusted over with dirt or worn away by time.

"Yes?" answered a voice that Kaoru didn't recognise.

"Katsu, it's Kenshin, let me in, I'm going to annoy Sano," Kenshin spoke into the wall.

"Ooh, he won't like that," the man replied, but they heard the harsh buzz of the door being released anyway. Kenshin pushed it open and held it for Kaoru, who stepped in, a bit confused. She didn't understand the necessity of not calling Sano directly. She must have looked concerned, because Kenshin told her as they began climbing dirty stairs,

"Don't worry, this is just a little fun between me and Sano, a little payback. The number of times he's gotten me out of bed… He won't take it too seriously. I hope," he finished, laughing.

Eventually they got to the fourth or fifth floor, Kaoru trying not to pant like a fat elephant, telling herself she needed to get back into her training. Kenshin, meanwhile, was completely unfazed, looking cool as a cucumber, although she did notice that he kept his hand pressed against his thigh as if it was bothering him.

He smiled at her as they broke away from the stairs, moving across the landing to a door with darkened and chipped red paint. He then startled her by abruptly turning and hammering on the door, kicking it and making the most ungodly racket. Kaoru was sure that Sano would have heard a more conventional three-noted knock, and that this endless erratic cacophony was going overboard.

Suddenly, with an alarming wrenching sound, the door was briskly heaved open, and a very un-amused Sano replaced it. He had clearly been brought out of bed, as he was wearing only a pair of boxers and his red headband. He didn't look particularly fresh, though his hair looked the same as it always did, funnily enough. Kaoru quickly fixed her eyes to the wall next to her head due to his state of undress, but not fast enough to notice how different he looked when he was unhappy. She had only ever seen him with a smile on his face, cheerful and teasing, now he looked intimidating as he towered over them, his expression murderous.

He didn't say anything, he just exhaled sharply through his nose, like a bull snorting before it charged.

"Oh, I'm sorry, did I wake you?" asked Kenshin lightly, somehow finding the gall to smile pleasantly at the rooster-head, but not without the twinkle of sweet revenge in his violet eyes.

Sano's face compacted, his eyes narrowing and his lips tightening, as he brought his hand off the door and extended it with its pair towards Kenshin's neck.

Kenshin took a step back, but he didn't look afraid.

"Kaoru's brought you something," he said conversationally.

She quickly fished the letter out of her bag and held it out to pacify this Frankenstein's Monster-esque being and possibly save Kenshin's life. "Megumi gave it to me," she said hastily.

Sano stopped lurching forward as the envelope was thrust under his nose, and he took it unwillingly, turning away from Kenshin with a scowl and walking back into his apartment. They followed him inside as he ripped into the envelope and read its contents.

Kaoru looked around, but she tried not to stare. The place was filthy, covered in dirt and grime, to the extent that she wouldn't have deemed it liveable. Every step she took crunched. There was a beaten up TV sitting on a small table that looked to be twenty or thirty years old. It still had bent and twisted bunny-ears antennae, and knobs to change the channel. She couldn't even guess at what colour his couch had been originally, the upholstery had worn away in several bald patches, and it looked like it was on the point of collapse anyway. Facing it at an angle were parts of an armchair that had been piled and propped up against each other to make something that resembled the silhouette of a chair. Between the couch and the TV was a bare mattress with a tired old quilt lying over it messily.

That was the living room area. There was a dirty sort of kitchen beside Kaoru that thankfully didn't look as if it saw much use, because it looked like it would burst into flames if anyone tried to actually cook anything in it. There were no doors leading out of the room except the one they had come through. The most recent thing in the whole apartment seemed to be the telephone and answering machine combo that sat on the window sill.

Kaoru was surprised at just how badly Sano lived, but he didn't seem to mind. He stood in the centre, frowning over the letter Megumi had written.

"Kaoru," he said, making her look at him. He had a strange expression, somewhere between confusion and pure fear "When did Megumi write this?"

"This morning," Kaoru replied, unsure of what could possibly be in the letter make him react in that way.

"Did anything else happen this morning?" he asked, as if it was it was of the greatest importance, taking a step closer. "Did she seem depressed or… did she get any bad news?"

Kaoru thought. "Her landlord called to say that she had a week to pay the rent before he evicted her," she replied, still in the dark, but Sano's fear was contagious, and she felt a nervous twisting in her gut. She had obviously missed something vital.

He winced, and swore violently, crumpling the letter in his hand. "What did she do after she gave you the letter? Where is she?"

"I don't know, she said she had something to do, she went out," Kaoru replied awkwardly, her eyes flicking to Kenshin in case he knew what was going on. The other man was also frowning at Sano's worrying behaviour, having straightened up and crossed his arms, paying close attention.

"Okay, Kaoru, this is important," He came and held her shoulders, looking down at her. She could feel his hands shaking. "Did she take anything with her? Her bag, her phone, anything?"

Kaoru tried to remeber through the frenzy to when she had left the hotel. She remembered the mess Megumi had left, her affairs strewn out on the dresser.

"… No," she replied, sensing that this was the momentous answer Sano was dreading.

"Shit!" he said, releasing her and immediately grabbing some jeans from a pile of clothes on the floor. "I've got to stop her," he continued, wrenching on his trousers and tossing on a shirt, driving his feet into his shoes.

"Sano, what is it?" asked Kenshin firmly, moving closer. Sano thrust the single sheet of hotel stationary with Megumi's letter on it at Kenshin's chest.

"Read that," he said. "I've gotta go," and he marched out of the apartment, gaining speed and leaping down the stairs.

Kaoru moved closer to Kenshin as he looked at her, perplexed. They read the letter, hoping to find some answers.

_Sano,_

_I couldn't do this without at least trying to rectify some of the mistakes I've made. When I said that you were just a prostitute, it was because I wish things were that simple. I guess if I'm going to do this right, I need to be honest. You've been the best thing in my life since we met, and I don't know what to make of that. There is no future for us. If I had the money I had when we met, I would ask you to live with me, be mine. I would spend every dime I had if I could see you everyday, and have you all to myself, without being eaten up thinking of all your other clients. You wouldn't have to work another night in your life, I would give you everything you could ever want, because you've already done that for me._

_But I don't have that money anymore, I don't have anything anymore, so we can't be together. I'm not going to stay and watch my life steadily crumble into ruins. People have already died because of me, but I know this is not the end of it. Things are going to keep getting worse. I know what happens next - I get sent to prison. Maybe I deserve it, but I know I can't handle it. I'm not strong enough. It's better to take my fate into my own hands. I'm going to put an end to it myself. The train will be quickest._

_Tell everyone I'm sorry. I'm sure Kaoru will cry, but who knows, maybe Kenshin will be able to comfort her. Try to keep her away from Enishi, he really is bad for her. Tell Kenshin thank you for everything he's done for me. I've left instructions with my lawyers that everything that's worth anything goes to you, I hope it's enough to make a difference, and don't worry, it's off the books so you won't inherit any debt._

_To you, one last time, I'm sorry, for everything. Goodbye._

_Megumi Takani, MD._

There was a shocked silence as they came to the end of the letter. They were afraid to look at each other and have their suspicions confirmed in the other's eyes.

Kenshin swallowed, and spoke first. "You don't think…" He couldn't bring himself to say it.

"What does she mean, she's going to put an end to it herself?" asked Kaoru.

Neither of them had an answer. They turned back to the letter in shock.


	15. Run, Sano, Run

Chapter 15

Sano ran. He sprinted until he thought he was going to die. He had never had the time, opportunity or inclination to keep fit. Nature had blessed him with the kind of body women would pay money for, and the only use he had for it himself was the fights he got into, and they never lasted very long. The only stamina he had was in the bedroom.

But now, he fought against his slowing, stiffening legs, and his burning lungs. They didn't matter, he would force them to work, because he had to get to Megumi, he _had _to. If he didn't, if he was too late, and she managed to take her own life… Well, that just wasn't an option. His mind couldn't formulate a future for him if that happened. All it could offer him were her words…

_How can I live knowing that I've been a party to people's deaths?_

Why hadn't he seen this coming? Why hadn't he been watching her more closely?

_It's not like you can help me, you're just a…_

He knew why. She'd hurt him. She'd taken those perfect nails of hers that he'd felt on his back so many nights and plucked his heart out of his chest then laughed in his face. But she wasn't wrong, he was. He _was _just a prostitute, had been for a long time, probably always would be, until he got too old and he died a poor and undignified death. He should never have let his pride, and his stupid delusions that she might actually make room in her life for him, keep him away from her. Look at what happened when he did.

_I couldn't do this without at least trying to rectify some of the mistakes I've made._

Poor Megumi. Poor stupid, goddamn Fox. This was the stupidest thing she'd ever done, he'd thought she was smarter than this. So she felt sorry for herself, so she felt guilty, it didn't mean that topping herself was the answer. That wouldn't solve anything, but she was just too goddamn noble. She couldn't live.

_You've been the best thing in my life since we met._

Fine fucking way to repay him. Didn't she realised he cared about her? How could she be so fucking dense? And cruel…

_There is no future for us. _

She was going to make sure of that. They could have worked it out. They could have found some way to keep seeing each other. Even if she got locked up, he'd have visited. They would have rocked those conjugal-visit trailers till the wheels fell off. He wouldn't have abandoned her. But she wasn't going to make the effort.

_If I had the money I had when we met… You wouldn't have to work another night in your life._

How long had she been thinking about this, making plans? It was his fairy tale, but he didn't want it that badly. He'd give it up in a flash if he could just make it to the station on time. It meant nothing compared to her. He didn't want her for her money, not anymore, not for a long time. Why hadn't he been able to make her see that?

_I'm not going to stay and watch my life steadily crumble into ruins._

When had she given up hope? When Shinomori had told her about Faith? He could kill that man, he didn't care about his ninja-freaks or the sword he hid in his cane. If Megumi splattered herself beneath the wheels of a train, Sano would be up for a little pain of his own. Was it when her landlord had told her about his plans to evict her? When had the bad started to outweigh the good in her life?

Maybe he had only contributed to it all when he walked away from her.

He sped up.

_I'm not strong enough. _

Couldn't she see how amazing she was? How she made everyone around her feel like they could be more than they were? Like Sano could actually be worth something one day, instead of just more street-trash in an already dirty city? If _she _wasn't strong enough, then how the hell were the rest of them still living?

_It's better to take my fate into my own hands. I'm going to put an end to it myself. _

No. It couldn't happen. Please, if you're listening, if you're even up there, don't let this happen, not to her.

_The train will be quickest._

Sano had to be quicker. He hurtled through the streets, his feet finding the way, the route unfurling in his mind as he ran. He didn't care about the disapproving looks he got, about the old people who didn't get out of his way fast enough. There was only one thing he cared about.

_Tell everyone I'm sorry._

You won't be sorry, because you won't do it. I'll stop you. I'll get there.

_I'm sure Kaoru will cry…_

She knew, she _knew _how this would affect the people who loved her, and she was going to do it anyway. How much pain must she have been in? How could he have not noticed?

_I've left instructions with my lawyers that everything that's worth anything goes to you, I hope it's enough to make a difference._

Did she think that would make up for it? That that was important to him? He didn't care about her money, he didn't want it, he hated it, and if it ever showed up on his doorstep because she never would again, he would burn it to ashes.

She was still trying to help him, but he didn't want her help, he just wanted her, and she was going to take that away from him.

_To you, one last time, I'm sorry, _

He was the first and last person she thought of.

Don't be sorry, Megumi, just don't do it. Have second thoughts, hesitate, change your mind. Wait for me. Just wait long enough for me to get there.

_Goodbye._

The dirty exterior of the old brick train station came into view as he took the corner and he leant forward, using every inch of his long legs, finding a second wind now his goal was so close. He slammed into the doors, charging through to the platforms. It was harder now, there were more people, kids, suitcases, but anything he couldn't dodge got pushed or jumped over.

The platforms were all parallel to each other, and he vaulted the ticket booth with ease to get to the first one, something he would never have normally been able to do. Now he had to stop, searching frantically for Megumi on any of the dozen platforms laid out in front of him, but he couldn't see, there were things in the way, people, columns, trains.

He needed to get a better view, get up higher. There was no commotion, he noticed, he was not too late. A long bridge linked the platforms together, and he immediately hauled himself up the steps. He couldn't run or he would miss her. In the middle of the bridge, he turned endlessly on the spot, looking to his left and right, all over, but her wasn't finding her. His fear intensified, how would he ever find her in the crowd? A train could come in and she could jump while he was right there, and he would be powerless to stop her.

As if confirming his worst fears, a shrill whistle came from behind him. He turned and watched as the tip of a diesel train rumbled through into the station, followed by rattling carriages. In horror, his eyes turned to the platform directly beneath him, where he saw Megumi get up from a green bench, her face turned determinedly to the approaching engine.

Gripping the barrier, he shouted to her.

"Megumi!"

But she didn't hear him over the din of the wheels, she just moved to stand on the edge of the tarmac. Sano scrambled to the nearest set of steps, moving so fast down them that he was practically falling. He heard the scream of the trains brakes being engaged suddenly and it felt as if the ground was ripped away from under him, taking his heart with it.

But still he moved faster. On the other side of this column was where she had been. Did he even _want _to see? Could he bear it?

He threw himself around the corner.

"Megumi!"

She looked up at him suddenly, standing by the open train door, waiting as passengers dismounted.

He was suddenly in front of her, grabbing her shoulders so tightly that she winced and tried to twist away from his painful hold, but he wouldn't let her go.

"Don't do it," he pleaded, his body suddenly on the point of collapse.

"Ow, Sano, what…?"

"Don't do it," he repeated, "Please, I -"

He what? Loved her? Needed her? All of them. But _now _he couldn't say it? Now, when her life might depend on it?

She began to frown. "I didn't want you to follow me," she said disapprovingly.

"You can't send me a letter like that and expect me not to come," he told her, breathing heavily, feeling warm at just having her in front of him, his hands tingling where they touched her, or maybe that had something to do with all the running and adrenaline.

"There is no future for us, Sano. This is for the best." She spoke with conviction, trying to convince him as well as herself, trying not to let him tempt her away from it, while at the same time begging him to try harder, to make it work. She put her hands over his, removing them from her shoulders.

"Megumi, no…"

Another whistle as the conductor signalled the train to start moving again. Doors began closing at the far end. She turned away from him.

He grabbed her arm and pulled her back, forcing her to him, his mouth descending on hers. He kissed her soft and hard, with love and with lust, the best he'd ever kissed anyone, the kind of kiss you can't fake or do for money.

There were a few distant gasps and giggles, and some jerk wolf-whistled, but he didn't hear them. She was all he knew.

When he slowly pulled away, and opened his eyes, she was still drifting in the haze, her eyes half-lidded, only focusing as they came to rest on his face.

"Now tell me you don't have anything to live for," he murmured.

**Author's Note:** Mwuhahahahaha!! How much do you hate me? I'll tell you this now, I've split the chapter in two. That's why this is so short, and it's such a cliffy (I guess it is, anyway). I did that because, together, the chapter would have been really long, and because the tone of this first bit is so different from the tone of the second half, that I didn't want to lose one to the other. I'm really proud of this bit, at least. So now you know, Sano gets to Megumi in time! The next chapter follows on directly from this, but I don't know exactly when I'll be able to post it, since I've got a lot of work to do (groooooaaaaaan, hate it hate it). And, oh yeah, for those of you who are waiting eagerly for it, Sano and Megumi are gonna get freaky in the next chapter, so that's something to look forward to. Review!


	16. Luuurve

Chapter 16

Megumi looked confused, her eyebrows drawing together delicately. "What?" she breathed.

"I'm here, Kitsune. You have me. You'll always have me. And I need you, too, so don't… Don't kill yourself, okay?" he said quietly, still holding her close, not daring or desiring to let her go.

For a long moment, the woman in his arms just looked at him, still frowning. Then she repeated, "What?"

An uncomfortable worm of suspicion wriggled through to Sano's mind, and he frowned as well.

"Why did you come here?" he asked her, double-checking.

She turned her eyes away from him, then leant closer, burying her face in his chest. He was just able to decipher her muffled words as she hugged him to her.

"I was running away," she said.

From life? he thought.

"Running away from what?" he prompted her again, just to be thorough.

"Everything," she replied. "I was going to get on a train and just… disappear. I couldn't handle it, Sano, everything was falling apart."

She was going to get on a train…?

Vertigo pitched the world on its side as understanding rammed into Sano. He had misunderstood. Suddenly, he felt every inch of the distance he'd run, and every breath that wasn't enough. He stumbled slightly under the pressure.

Megumi snapped her head away from him, looking up at him abruptly. "Sano?" she asked worriedly.

"I think I need to sit down," he said, reaching for the bench that was still feet away. Megumi helped him to it, and he collapsed, putting his head in his hands and closing his eyes. Was this relief? He just felt sick.

Megumi sat next to him, facing him, her hand on his back. "Are you okay? What's wrong?" she asked anxiously.

Before he could reply, the conductor reached them, having shut all the other doors. "Anyone boarding?" he asked, making Megumi look at him.

Sano froze, waiting to hear what she would say. Would she still want to leave, or would she stay with him? Did she care after all?

There was a pause as she deliberated, looking longingly at the train, but then she turned her face to the man beside her, under her touch, with his head in his hands. She shook her head. "No," she said quietly, and the conductor slammed the last door shut and waved to the driver. The train started up with a hiss and a screech, and pulled slowly away.

After it was gone, and everything was quiet again, Megumi leaned in closer to Sano, trying to see his face.

"Are you okay?" she asked again, softly.

He sat up with a rush and looked at her. "Wanna get a room?" he said.

"What?" She was frowning at him again.

"Let's get a room. I want to get a room," he said seriously, standing up and reaching for her hand.

She took it in confusion and he set off, pulling her after him. He lead them towards the front doors to the lobby, turning into the small motel there.

"Sano, I don't think -" Megumi protested, but Sano was already at the desk, signing papers. He dug some folded bills out of his jeans and received a key, then he had her hand again and was finding their room.

"Where did you get that money?" she asked as she was towed along.

"Dunno. Woke up with it," Sano answered disinterestedly. Stuff like that happened sometimes when he had been too drunk the night before to remember anything. It was usually money he had won in a bet, or in a fight.

He found the room and opened it, ushering her inside before hurriedly shutting the door and locking it. Then his hands were on her, drawing her close and tugging at her clothes. She leant away from his kiss,

"Sano, what's going on? What is this?" she asked.

He didn't stop moving to answer her question, his hands seemed to be everywhere, and she was finding it hard to stop them.

"What? I want you, is that a crime?" He replied, his voice already low and husky as he dipped his mouth to her neck, exposed by her attempts to keep her mouth out of the reach of his.

"No, but… Here? Now? What's the rush?"

One of his hands had settled on the small of her back, and the other was currently undoing the buttons on his shirt. He somehow managed to keep kissing her neck as he spoke.

"Look, Megumi, you almost left for good. We almost lost this," he said.

Megumi thought about it. It had been a very painful decision to leave, mainly because of Sano and Kaoru, she didn't have much else. She had been able to trust that Kaoru would be taken care of, if not by Kenshin, than by his friend, and as for Sano, she had just forced herself to be realistic. Use only her head, ignoring her heart.

But now it looked like she was staying, and in the little room, nearly filled by the simple bed, it was almost like the good old days, just the two of them. And as Sano's shirt fell away from him and he reached for her again, she did feel that he had the right idea.

She let his mouth latch back onto her neck, his hands tugging her jacket off her shoulders while her own roamed over his bare chest, so warm and so familiar. She spread the fingers of one hand over his stomach while she reached for that spot just under his ribs that made all his abs tighten at once, just for a second, and smiled to herself when she felt her success.

She tipped his chin up and kissed him, catching his tongue and making him moan as she slid her thumbs over his hip bones. She didn't work to remove any of her own clothing, she wanted to feel him do it, because she wasn't employing him this time, she wasn't seeking an end, this was something else. His warm hands massaged her skin through the fabric of her top before he tugged it up, baring her stomach to his wandering fingers.

Her jacket was already on the floor, and he walked her backwards to the bed, which they fell on unceremoniously, knocking elbows against ribs. He knelt over her, pulling her top over her head before she grabbed his with both hands and pulled him down to her to continue the kiss, forcing him to settle over her, his heated chest covering her own. Her hands moved up to his hair, sliding through it until they met his headband, which she decided she wanted him without, so she slipped it off and dropped it over the side of the bed. Then, just to annoy him, she roughly tussled his hair with one hand.

He made an irritated little noise and broke the kiss, looking down at her, pretending to be cross.

"What? Don't like messy hair, Rooster-head?" she teased.

"I'll have you know this is a very careful, calculated style," he replied haughtily.

"Bullshit," Megumi called, and he grinned. She brought one hand up and smoothed his hair, tugging a few locks back into place.

"You're pretty," she said softly, admiring him.

His expression became more sultry, and he lowered his hips more heavily onto hers. "How do you want me?" he asked, his voice low and non-judgemental. She knew she could say anything and he probably wouldn't even blink. This was just what he did. She'd heard this question before many times.

She considered him and answered. "I want to drive you crazy," she said, watching his brown eyes carefully. They slid down to her body, or possibly just away from her face, as he answered,

"You already do." She felt they weren't just talking about in bed anymore.

There was a moment's pause as she continued to look at him, then she remembered something else she wanted to ask him.

"What did you think I was going to do today? At the station?" she asked, curling a few of his longer strands of hair around her fingers.

He smiled, but it wasn't entirely happy, and it didn't show any teeth. He kissed her quickly on the lips. "I'll tell you after," he appeased.

Megumi didn't look happy with that answer, but he pretended not to notice and cut her off with a kiss. It was unnerving, the desperation he felt. He had experienced the very real belief that he would lose her forever, and now that he hadn't, that he had somehow recuperated what he thought he would never have again, he _needed _her. Sano had never needed anyone, he had always prided himself on being entirely self-sufficient. He had learned how to win a fight by the time he was twelve, he saw his parents for the last time at fifteen, and was making a living without any help by seventeen. But now he needed to have his hands on Megumi to make sure she was still there, that she was still with him, still liked him. He would only be comforted by her bare skin, only then could he return to normal.

He was moving quickly, not bothering to tease or flirt the way he would have if he was working. He could tell she was disconcerted by his behaviour, and he felt bad for that, trying to reassure her as much as he could by keeping his touch just a gentle as always, and his kiss just as warm.

Megumi was surprised, to say the least, but she wasn't going to stop him. Finally, it felt as if Sano was doing this for himself, rather than for her. It felt as if their interest was genuinely mutual, that she would be able to pay him back for all the nights he had been just perfect. He didn't feel as if he was doing a job, but as if he was taking something he wanted. This wasn't the behaviour of a prostitute, but of a lover.

Sano's nimble fingers undid her trousers, and they spent the next few minutes undressing each other, giggling as they got tangled, and gasping as they got touched, sharing heated looks and hot kisses. They got to the point Sano had been striving for, naked and sweating and anticipating, but then Sano hesitated, and rolled them over, so that Megumi was perched uncertainly on top of him.

She looked down at his face, questioningly. This wasn't something they usually did.

"I want to watch you," Sano murmured, his expression slack with lust while his eyes burned with it.

Megumi's gut tightened at the thought, and she ran her nose through his hair. "My pleasure," she breathed into his ear.

She pushed herself up off his chest and tossed her damp hair over her shoulder, before fixing her eyes on him and spreading her thighs either side of his hips. She didn't feel ashamed, it was nothing he hadn't seen before, she just felt a small stroke of pride as his gaze became transfixed and he shifted uncomfortably, suffering under the increased pressure of his arousal. She didn't waste time in slowly lowering herself, taking him into her, as he forced himself not to thrust upwards and complete the movement.

She settled onto him, adjusting to his presence inside her, and he slid his hand down her thigh. Then she began to move, rising up and pushing down, getting the angles _she _wanted, making sure all the right spots were hit. Her pleasure showed on her face, and it was one of the most erotic things Sano had ever experienced to watch the beautiful, intelligent woman use his body to pleasure herself. He felt a jerk low in his belly and tried to think of other things, or the thought alone would finish him.

He felt Megumi's warm, slick muscles ripple around him, and she opened her eyes. She captured and held his gaze, her eyes pools of lust, heat, warmth and love. He pushed himself up on his arms, keeping his lower body still, until he was sitting up before her. He made sure he didn't touch her, and she didn't break her rhythm, continuing her sensuous, tortuous rise and fall.

Megumi's eyes strayed over his defined, tan body as he sat up, teasing her by keeping just an inch too far away to brush against her, the warmth of his body reaching her skin. Damn, he was fine. Her inner muscles spasmed again in response, and this time, his control slipped and he bucked up into her briefly. He altered their position, leaning forward more and tilting her back, so that they were now both moving together, their pace increasing steadily as they approached their climax.

But there was a look like pain in Sano's eyes, Megumi saw it buried there before he moved his face to her ear to ask,

"Do you love me?"

Megumi felt her own pain then. She didn't want to think about that. She didn't want to confirm in so many words, either out loud or to herself, that this was more than just physical. She'd told him how she felt in her letter, but she'd done so planning on never seeing him again. This would be different, this would be the beginning of something that they couldn't sustain, and that would only end up hurting them both.

"I…" she choked on the words, not knowing what to say. It was a powerful and cruel combination, pleasuring her body as he held the small of her back and drove into her, one hand on her breast, and torturing her heart by asking it to go places it didn't want to look at.

"Do you?" he pushed, sounding angry and sad and seductive all at the same time.

"Sano, I…" She was saved as her orgasm hit suddenly, making her cry out and grit her teeth. Her muscles gripped him ruthlessly and she moved furiously over him. He met her thrust for thrust, riding out her pleasure until he found his own, his question forgotten for the moment as they eventually collapsed back on the bed in a sweaty pile, languidly untangling themselves from each other.

Sano held her to his chest, but kept his eyes on the ceiling, well aware that she hadn't answered his question. But Megumi was facing him as she lay on her front, and she could see the look in his eye. She couldn't justify pretending anymore, she knew very well that she loved him, and he deserved to know too.

She sighed heavily. "Yeah, I do love you," she finally admitted, making him look at her. "But I don't know what I'm going to do about it."

He kissed her hair. "I love you, too," he said. "I realised that while I was running like a mental case to the station today." He gave a slight smile at the memory, able to laugh at it now that he had her in his arms.

"Why was that, anyway?" Megumi asked, remembering.

He shifted uncomfortably, and pulled a face as if it wasn't important. "I… thought you were going to kill yourself," he said.

"What?" Megumi pushed herself up to see him better.

"Well, that letter you left made it sound like it! And Kaoru said you hadn't taken anything with you when you left,"

Megumi thought back to that morning at the hotel with a guilty feeling. She had been about to abandon her only friend without saying goodbye. "When Kaoru saw me leave, I was only getting out of the room because I was going to start crying if I stayed there with her. I came back for my stuff before I left for the station." Sano gave her hair a comforting stroke. "Besides, if I was going to kill myself, I wouldn't throw myself under a train! I've been to medical school, I can do it much less messily," she said, seeming to chastise him for thinking it of her.

"Let's not talk about it," he replied, feeling the ghost of that morning's panic. "But you might want to call the others, I'm sure they're worrying about us." He looked guilty, prompting Megumi to reach for her mobile.

Sano reclined on the bed as Megumi sat on the edge, playing with the ends of her long hair as she reassured their friends that she was fine, that the letter had been meant as a goodbye before she left the city, not before she left this life. They made arrangements to meet for lunch, on Kaoru as she was so relieved and wouldn't take no for an answer.

When Megumi got off the phone, she turned back to Sano, both of them naked and now in need of a shower.

"So," she said. "We're in love?"

He cocked an eyebrow and shrugged in the affirmative. She gave a quiet, displeased grunt and crawled back under his arm.

"This is going to be trouble."


	17. S S S Saitoh

**Author's Note:** Aww, you guys…. You all seemed to have loved the last chapter! I'm glad, it wasn't easy to write, particularly. I'm giving you this one in the interest of ease, even though it's a bit on the short side (only just 2,000 words). Also, I'm kind of introducing a peripheral yaoi pairing, don't know how you feel about it, but I love these two characters, and I couldn't resist having a little fun. However, if you have a problem with this, here I am, warning you. There shouldn't be too many chapters after this, I don't think. Things are beginning to wrap up.

Chapter 17

After lunch, once everyone was reassured that they were all well and together, that no one was going anywhere or leaping under any trains, the group felt energised. Action would be taken, and this situation would be resolved so that Megumi got her life back and Sano could share it with her.

They decided that they needed help. They didn't have the resources or the connections to discover who was framing Megumi and to bring them to justice by themselves. Unfortunately, the only members of the police force who would care were currently wrapped up in investigating Megumi as the main suspect. However, Sano had an… acquaintance on the force. He couldn't be called a friend by any stretch of the imagination, but it was someone he knew, and who knew him, and who might be prevailed upon to take an interest.

So it was with a mixed air of determination, trepidation and optimism that they walked downtown to the police precinct nearest to where Sano worked. He led them confidently through the front doors, into the busy lobby, where ringing phones, talking voices and hurried, heavy steps all contributed to a general din of harassed activity. They way Sano was grinning made Megumi a little uneasy, it wasn't the expression someone would normally wear to see a policeman.

They followed him up to the front desk, where a stressed-looking man in uniform sat. Sano leaned amicably on the polished glass top, and the man glanced at him briefly before returning to what he was doing, looking like he was a pair of arms short.

"Can I help you?" he asked, sounding as if he was trying to discourage them from creating more work for him.

"Yeah, I'd like to see one of your Vice officers, please," Sano said calmly. The man opened his mouth with a look on his face as if he was about to tell them they would have to get in line, when Sano specified exactly _which _Vice officer he was aiming for. "Hajime Saitoh."

The receptionist froze and stared at him, and fear flickered openly across his face. "Er, the Lieutenant doesn't want to be disturbed," he said eventually, clearing his throat.

Sano leaned down closer, and said, "Well, now, that's okay, you just tell him his boyfriend's here to see him, okay?" and he gave the man a teasing wink.

Megumi's medical opinion frowned on Sano, because the man looked like his brain was screaming inside his head.

"Go on…" Sano encouraged, and the man reached uncertainly for the phone on his desk. He dialled a short number to be connected with Saitoh's office, and waited for him to answer, one hand shaking in fear as it twirled the cord anxiously.

He twitched as an acknowledgement was barked down the line. "Er, yes, Lieutenant Saitoh, Sir, there's a young man here to see you -" He winced as he was cut off by a lot of shouting. "He, he says he's your…" He glanced at Sano once again, who nodded eagerly at him, looking like the snake watching Eve consider the apple. "Your boyfriend, Sir."

There was a long silence as absolutely nothing came from the other end of the phone line. Then something brief, and Saitoh hung up.

"The lieutenant's on his way," informed the clerk.

"Thank you," said Sano sincerely, whose day had obviously just been made. He turned back to the group and moved them a few steps away from the desk. "This guy is someone who used to be on my case night and day when I first started out on the streets. I was a little underage at the time, but I haven't seen him in a while since then. He takes the well being of downtown very personally, so I don't think he'll appreciate this new drug moving in." He laughed, "That being said, I don't think he'll appreciate my little joke either. He's not famous for his sense of humour. It might be wise if we move closer to the door, just in case we need to make a quick exit."

They shuffled over and stood close to the door, looking up just as a fierce looking man with a murderous expression on his mean face was to be seen striding towards them. Following close on his heels, was an odd character, who could have been Sano's brother, if only because his hair showed the same contempt for gravity. It stood up perfectly straight, leaning only slightly if he tilted his head, and its blonde colour gave him the unfortunate appearance of an upturned broom. One eye was closed in a lazy wink, and his clothes looked like they'd been stolen off a clown and then torn up so that they would fit his lanky frame. His hands also happened to be cuffed in front of him, but that didn't stop him smiling cheekily at Sano, who smiled back.

"Alright, Broomhead?" greeted Sano, with a knowing nod.

"Same ol', Roosterhead," he replied, his strong Southern twang instantly discernible, glancing at the officer in front of him and smiling a little wider.

The man Megumi took to be Saitoh, however, didn't look happy to see them. He gave the group a cursory glance, before settling his narrow yellow eyes on Sano.

"Moron, this had better be _so_ good…" he growled.

The blonde behind him jerked as if he'd been poked in the side and looked over at Saitoh. "Ah can make it good for you," he purred seductively, a yearning look in his one open eye.

Saitoh's eyes flicked in his direction but he didn't even bother turning his head as he said, "Shut up, Chou."

Megumi was a little startled by this exchange, but kept her mouth shut. She knew she was out of her depth with the relationships these men had with each other.

Sano grinned at Chou, who shrugged off the Lieutenant's dismissal as if he was used to it.

"The reason I came, other than to spread rumours about your sexuality, is to ask you for help," said Sano, and the cop snorted as if he'd be ice-dancing in Hell before that happened. "Maybe you've heard about the investigation uptown into the money being embezzled from hospitals? Well, it just so happens that we have it on reliable sources that that money is being used to produce a new drug, currently being sold on our fair streets." He held his hand out to Megumi to hand him the sample of Faith that Shinomori had given them, and smiled slowly as he continued. "That strikes me as something you'd care about, and it seems like it would be mutually beneficial if you got your labs to take a look, find out what the stuff is and where it came from."

Saitoh took the tiny plastic bag and ran his thumb over the pills inside, considering.

"Why do you care?" he asked.

"I know someone who knows someone involved," answered Sano coolly.

Saitoh accepted this as an evasion and moved on. "Why should I help you?"

"Because that stuff is killing people, and because you're a cop. You hate crime, and you love punishing bad guys, that's why it's your job," replied Sano with conviction, as if he already knew that the officer would help them.

Saitoh grunted as if he had nothing to say against that judgement. "If I make a case out of this, the lab results would be confidential police business," he argued.

"That's _if _you make a case out of it. I'm sure you could sneak those pills in somewhere, or if you'd rather, I don't mind overhearing a little confidential information."

"Why should I believe you?" said Saitoh, lifting his eyes from the winged pills and narrowing them at Sano, who just smiled lightly.

"I'm a hooker, I'd better have a pretty good reason to walk into a pig-pen, I mean, Police station."

Saitoh looked even more menacing as he scowled at Sano's pretend slip of the tongue, but he folded the bag into the palm of his hand, and seemed to accept the arrangement.

"Fine, but I don't want to see your face here again until I have the results, and that'll be in a few days. I'll try to forget this ever happened until then," he growled, and turned on his heel to stalk off the way he'd came. Chou remained with them however, prompting Sano to ask,

"Aren't you going to…" and he jerked his head after Saitoh.

The blonde looked up from tilting his head to appreciate Saitoh's rear as he walked away, and said, "Nah, it's better if he has to come and get me." Then his single eye wandered over to the other male in the group and gave Kenshin a practiced once-over, resting on his face as he offered a sultry, "Hi,"

Kenshin only stiffened ever so slightly, hiding his surprise very well as the blonde gave him very convincing bedroom-eye. Out of sight, Saitoh shouted an angry "Chou!" but Sano's friend gave no indication of hearing him.

Sano laughed, "Wrong again, Broomhead, Kenshin's not interested," he said.

Chou looked back at the brunette, "He just doesn't know it yet," he replied. "Ah could still show you a thing or two, Roosterhead. Ah know how to _make _a man interested," he purred.

An even more impatient "_Chou_!" came from around the corner, and the Southerner shivered with desire. "Mmm, mmm, mmm, one of these days, Roosterhead, and many of these nights…" he said, leaving the rest to be imagined.

Then Saitoh was there, hand gripping Chou's bare bicep, fingers digging in as he dragged his prisoner away, chewing him out for not coming when he called. They couldn't make out the exact words of Chou's reply, but it was a play on the word 'come,' and it wasn't clean.

Sano was just left chuckling in their wake, until he eventually turned to lead them out of the Police station, their business finished. Megumi jogged up next to Sano to talk to him, and he put his arm over her shoulders carelessly.

"Who was that?" she asked.

"Who? Chou? We used to hang out together a couple of years back. He'd been in the game longer than I had, but we were both just as dumb as each other. Only difference between us is that, while I am God's gift to women," he said, smirking, and Megumi wasn't a hundred percent sure whether he was joking or not. "Chou is about as straight as a paperclip, he'll do anything with a Y-chromosome. His customers are all men, and most of the time, they can never believe their luck, Broomhead's a complete nympho. He loves his job alright, but recently he's been getting himself arrested on purpose 'cause he's convinced he can seduce Saitoh. Don't ask me why anyone would want to, but Broomhead's head over heels for him."

Megumi considered this, and found it at once very sweet and charming, but also strange and disturbing. "What happened to his eye?" she asked, to distract herself from her thoughts.

"Oh, he did that to himself, trying to pierce his own eyebrow. He thought he'd like to look tougher, or something. I probably should have stopped him, looking back…"

"You were there, and you let him try to pierce his own eyebrow?!" Megumi cried, appalled and surprised as a doctor.

"Hey, like I said, we weren't exactly the brightest kids on the block," Sano defended himself.

Megumi thought about that, and about something he'd said earlier, about Saitoh chasing him for being underage when he started his life as a prostitute.

"So, how young are we talking here?" she said, trying to sound casual. But Sano heard her concern in her voice and pulled her closer briefly.

"Too young, but don't worry about it, Kitsune, I grew up fast," he said, but Megumi didn't feel reassured. In fact, that was kind of what she'd been afraid of.


	18. Dumpage!

Chapter 18

Kaoru was lying alone on her hotel bed, bored. Megumi was off with Sano somewhere, and it was making Kaoru think of her own situation, and her own relationship. Frankly, she was getting bored of living in a hotel. She wanted to go back to her own apartment, and she wanted Enishi to freaking call her and apologise, already!

She'd done something she shouldn't have, she knew that, and she was willing to say sorry, make amends for it, never do it again, but surely getting thrown out in the middle of night in your lingerie was punishment enough? And Enishi hadn't checked up on her once since then, and it had been almost a week! As far as he knew, she was still wandering the streets half-naked. She could have been raped and killed if it hadn't been for Kenshin's generosity, and Enishi didn't even seemed to be thinking about it. Instead, he was continuing his life as if nothing had happened, living in _her _apartment, probably still spending _her _money.

She could understand that he was angry. He'd always been a proud man, and having your girlfriend say another man's name during sex was surely a _huge _blow to your ego, but how long was it going to take to sort this out? Kaoru admitted that she would have been hurt beyond measure if Enishi had been thinking of another woman while they made love, but if he was going to break up with her, he should at least have the decency to actually break up with her, and not leave her dangling in limbo. And if he wanted time to think, then couldn't he at least let her move back in in the meantime?

Maybe he was waiting for her to come back on her own. Maybe he just needed her to go and apologise. After all, his pride probably wouldn't allow him to call her and ask her to come back. That was fair enough. But at the same time, didn't he care at all about how she was doing? He'd thrown her out without even the clothes on her back - wasn't he worried? Apparently not, and that was aggravating.

Kaoru had been nothing but the perfect girlfriend up until that unfortunate slip of the tongue, always there, always attentive. She'd given up her job for him, she'd shared her trust fund with him, she'd cooked and cleaned and laundered for him, she'd never nagged or judged or asked for anything from him, never told him she had a headache when she wasn't in the mood. It was about time he gave something back, a little token gesture of affection. A phone call wasn't too much to ask was it? He _had _hit her, after all.

The deal with the policeman who made Kaoru strangely uncomfortable had been the day before, so now everyone was just waiting for the results of the lab work on the pills. Truth be told, it was all a little over Kaoru's head. She was a fighter, not a scientist, she understood the human body, not chemicals. But she knew it was important to helping Megumi prove her innocence, and she would stand by her friend in all things. Currently, however, Megumi was off with Sano, since there had obviously been a shift of some sort in their relationship. They were now acting more like boyfriend and girlfriend, touching in public, and smiling at each other in that private way reserved for couples, whereas before they had tried to keep more to themselves, though there had always been _something _there. Kaoru supposed it happened when Sano had misinterpreted Megumi's goodbye letter. That made sense, it would be hard to keep things casual after a reaction like that.

But now they were spending time together as a couple, that left Kaoru in an awkward, and boring, position. She didn't have anything to do, or anyone to talk to. She supposed that, out of their little quartet, the obvious choice was Kenshin. But she couldn't impose on him like that, could she? The poor man had been harassed enough recently, he deserved some quiet time to himself. And it wasn't as if their relationship was at a point where they could hang out, just the two of them, was it? They got along well enough, but their only connection really was the fact that their friends were involved. They weren't friends themselves, were they? Even if they were, if Kaoru called him up to ask him to keep her company, it might be taken the wrong way, given their history. Kenshin could misunderstand that she was hitting on him, or worse, that she was trying to initiate a relationship similar to the one Megumi and Sano used to have. After all, it must be quite common that people figure there isn't much difference between stripper and a prostitute. How horrible that would be if Kenshin thought she was trying to solicit some kind of private show?

But maybe that was unfair. Just because he was a stripper, didn't mean his life revolved around it. He could just as easily think nothing of it. Maybe she should call him. It wasn't as if she had anything else to do. And if he was busy, well, that would be awkward, but she wouldn't see him again until they went back to the police station, and then they would have other things to think about. She reached for her phone.

"Hello?" answered Kenshin's melodic voice.

"Hi, it's me, Kaoru." Actually, this was easier than she expected. "I was just wondering if, since Sano and Megumi are off together, you might want to do something?"

"Yeah, I don't have to be at work until later, I can come out. What did you have in mind?" he replied easily.

Ah. That was something she probably should have thought of _before _she called. "Well, I don't have anything I have to do today, so if you have any errands to run or anything, I can keep you company, or we could just get some coffee or something," she said, hoping she didn't sound desperate.

"That sounds fine, if you come round here, say, two o'clock, I know a nice place."

And that was all it took. A few minutes before two, Kaoru pulled up in front of the same small house she had seen so much of recently, and knocked on the door. Kenshin opened the door, but almost as soon as he did, they were interrupted by a tinny melody coming from Kaoru's bag.

Embarrassed, she apologised as she fumbled it into her hand. Kenshin smiled and drew his front door closed behind him, locking it and waiting politely. Kaoru looked at the number; no name came up and she didn't recognise it. Frowning, she apologised to Kenshin again, then took the call.

"Hello?"

"Miss Kamiya? It's Mr Otori," said an older man's voice. Kaoru identified the name as that of her landlord. "I was just calling to inquire about your apartment. No one has seen you for a few days, and I'm afraid I can't allow Mr Yukishiro to tenant the property without the lease holder's presence."

Kaoru understood the problem. The apartment was in her name, so Enishi couldn't live there without her.

"I'm sorry, Mr Otori, I understand the problem, but I have just had to move out for a few days, me and Mr Yukishiro had a bit of a fight," she said, becoming uncomfortable at having to go into her personal problems with her landlord, who had always been perfectly civil to her, but wasn't exactly a friend. That, and she was painfully aware of Kenshin politely trying not to overhear, as close as he was.

"Really? He told me you were on holiday…"

There were sounds of a commotion, and Enishi could be heard distantly in the background, saying gruffly "Give me the phone, old man. Kaoru?"

"Enishi, did you tell the landlord I was on holiday? Why?"

"Come on, Kaoru, baby, why don't you come home, hmm?" His voice was sugared-over, but it didn't sound convincing somehow. Usually, this was all it would take to get her to come running, but she felt a resistance in herself.

"Why did you lie?" she asked again.

"It was just easier, honey," he replied. "Now, are you going to tell him you're coming back?"

She didn't like the way he kept pushing her to say she would return. He had yet to apologise, or express any kind of concern for her well-being. A hurtful explanation for this behaviour was forming in her head.

"Enishi… Why did you call?"

"What do you mean, why did I call? Because I… I miss you, I wanted to find out if you were okay," he told her.

That was what she wanted to hear, but a voice in her head, that sounded suspiciously like Megumi, pointed out that he'd hesitated.

"It wasn't just because Mr Otori was going to evict you if I wasn't living there with you?"

She wanted to be told that that wasn't the reason, but she knew she wouldn't believe him if he did. She wanted to save her relationship, but she was beginning to realise that it was already dead, and had been for a while.

"Of course not, how can you accuse me like that?" He did his best to sound hurt, but she could hear him getting angry.

"Well, you haven't tried to find me since you kicked me out in my underwear," she retorted, fighting back for the first time in recent memory, getting angry herself.

"I was angry, and you know that was your fault after what you did. Now, stop being stupid and just come back here," he said, obviously expecting to be obeyed like usual. He expected her to take the all blame onto herself, like she always did. Only, she didn't feel like it this time. She'd actually been having a fairly good time without him, a better time than she would be going back to.

Her eyes fell on Kenshin, and she said, "Give the phone back to Mr Otori."

"That's my girl," said Enishi, and then there were the sounds of the phone being passed over.

"Miss Kamiya?"

"Mr Otori, I would like you to evict him. I'll come back when he's gone. You might want to get security, he can be violent," she said, her voice stern. She felt more empowered than she had in years.

"Understood, Miss Kamiya. And if you don't mind me saying, you're doing the right thing. He's no good for you," the old man said kindly.

Kaoru felt a rush of warmth for the old man. "Thank you, I'll speak to you soon," she said, and they made their goodbyes and hung up.

Kaoru suddenly felt a thrill. It was too late to go back now, Enishi would never forgive her for acting against him in this way. She'd done something bad, and it was exciting. She was now free.

But at the same time, she was scared. What if Enishi came after her? She was free, but she was also alone, she had just lost her relationship of three years. The man she'd thought loved her turned out to have only been using her for the comfort she supplied. That thought had to make her a little sad.

Kenshin had, of course, understood what had just transpired. When she looked up at him again, he could read her exaltation and anxiety in her face.

"Come on," he said, extending his hand to her in sympathy. "Let's go get that coffee."

OoO

Eventually, seeming to Megumi as though it had taken forever, the day came when they were to go back to the Police Station and get the lab results that would tell her where that cursed drug came from. They stood together at the foot of the stone steps, looking up at the busy front doors. Sano gave her hand a squeeze and she followed him inside, Kaoru and Kenshin together behind her.

Sano walked straight to the front desk, where the same harassed clerk sat. He gave them an initial cursory glance, then did a double take as he recognised Sano. His eyes narrowed in dislike.

"Saitoh's boyfriend, huh?" he accused, and Megumi suspected he had received a severe chewing out as a result of their last visit.

Sano looked apologetic. "Sorry about that, man," he said. "Is he in?"

"He is, but like hell am I letting you through," the man replied, clearly driven partly by self-preservation, partly by revenge.

"It's okay, he knows we're coming this time," Sano told the man.

"Sure, and my aunt's J. Edgar Hoover."

"No, man, he really did ask us to come back and see him today, just call him and ask," Sano insisted, trying not to get frustrated.

"Listen, pal, there is no way I am touching that phone. The Lieutenant is busy with a suspect, and he deliberately stressed that he did not want to be disturbed, so you might as well just leave," he said pettily and turned back to his computer, giving them the cold shoulder.

"Sergeant, why are you keeping these people waiting?"

Speaking of the devil, Saitoh materialised out of the crowd and berated the poor officer at the desk, whose body went rigid with fear, while his eyes loathed Sano.

"I'm sorry, Sir," he said in defeat.

Saitoh gestured for the group to come forward and follow him. "I think you and I need to have another talk after I finish seeing these citizens, don't you?" he said.

They just heard a dejected "Yes, Sir," come from the desk which was now behind them.

As Saitoh led them through corridors to his office, Sano said to him, "Maybe you should go easy on that guy… It was our fault for messing with him."

Saitoh snorted faintly in derision. "He's a moron, anyway."

Sano sensed a bone of contention between the two. "What did he do?" he asked.

Saitoh opened a door, and answered as he went through, "He told me I should quit smoking."

The gang took stock of the room as they filtered in nervously. The blinds were down and half-cocked, making the room gloomy and intimidating. The only thing that didn't belong in the stereotypical policeman's office was the tall blonde prostitute currently stashing himself away inconspicuously in the corner between a filing cabinet and a small neglected tree in a pot.

"Alright, Broomhead?" greeted Sano, noting that his friend looked perfectly at home in Saitoh's office, and that he no longer wore handcuffs, his arms crossed over his chest.

"Same ol', Roosterhead," he replied, as usual.

Saitoh took his seat behind his desk and gestured to the two empty chairs on their side. The men let the women sit down. The lieutenant then went into a draw for the results.

While this was going on, Sano continued a silent discourse with Chou. He put his wrists together in front of him, low down so no one would notice them, and twisted them while frowning slightly, asking Chou why he wasn't in cuffs like he should be. His only reply was a slow, smug grin that he'd seen many times before, usually when his friend had made a new conquest. Sano's eyebrows rose and he inclined his head slightly in disbelief. Chou nodded slowly, still smiling, out of Saitoh's sight where he stood behind him. Sano shook his head and started paying attention to what the cop was telling the others.

So, Chou had finally got his man, and now appeared to be on quite good terms with him since Saitoh was okay with leaving him alone in his office without handcuffs. Sano was happy for him, but deeply disturbed at the same time as he considered Saitoh's sadistic face. That was a thought that needed stomping on before any mental images came trotting towards his mind's eye.

"The drug is a synthetic chemical that was only put into production recently by a private company, in response to an order placed by the Children's Hospital," said Saitoh, tossing a file at Megumi for her to flick through, as she was the only one in the room to whom the long, complicated chemical classifications would mean anything.

Her eyes widened and her mouth opened as she looked over the results with an expression of the deepest guilt and sorrow. "I recognise this, it was theorised it could help children with violent psychoses. But the trial was a failure, the side-effects were…" She shook her head. "It was discontinued! God, it barely lasted a week!"

Megumi looked up at the cruel-seeming police officer opposite her, wanting to be believed and reassured, but she was looking in the wrong place. She felt terrible. Yes, she had ordered the drug and the trial, but that was her job, she was the person who signed off on those things, it was other people who brought the propositions to her. No wonder she hadn't remembered, the trial had only lasted for a few days, and before that it had just been one more piece of paper in a never-ending river of the pencil-pushing that she had to deal with in order to help people. But it had been suggested by someone she knew, someone she trusted. If only she could remember exactly who…

"Well, according to my investigation, the order is still standing. The drug has been being produced and sold to the hospital, and the name on all the forms is still your's," said Saitoh, before suddenly fixing her with a penetrating stare. "You _are _Megumi Takani, aren't you?"

He was obviously only asking in order to inform them that he knew who she was, and that if he wanted to, he could arrest her on the spot, because all the paper work pointed to her as the only suspect. There was no doubt in his smug yellow eyes. Apart from them, however, his body remained relaxed, reclined - he didn't seem interested in her at all. Perhaps he would let her go. After all, why would they bring the case to him if she was guilty?

She tried to remember, to think back, going over all the names and faces of everyone who had ever asked her to approve such a trial. One by one, all her old friends and employees ticked down, were eliminated, until only one face and one name was left. But no, it couldn't be, could it?

Then she realised that yes, yes it could. It was.

Her face hardened into a vengeful sneer. "I know who it is," she said.


	19. The Sting

**Author's Note:** Okay, guys, I'm really sorry 'bout the long wait, dunno what came over me, it's disgraceful… But I really like this chapter (and the next one actually, since I split a long one to make them) and you know I usually don't. So if you like the usual stuff, you should LOVE this (which will probably mean you won't). But this means Chapter 20 will be up really soon (as soon as I think I can't squeeze any more reviews out of you guys, so like, three or four days). Enjoy it! Hope its ace-ness makes up for the long wait.

Chapter 19

"Who is it?" asked Sano, clamouring to know, to resolve the issue and get his girl out of trouble. Saitoh barely even blinked, as if he had planned the whole thing.

Megumi forced the name past her teeth as if she hated every syllable individually. "Takeda Kanryuu. My ex-boyfriend, remember?" She looked up at Sano, recalling the first night she had picked him up. The morning after, she had showed him to a man in order to convince him that he had no hope, while Sano pretended to be asleep. He never saw the man, but he had heard his voice.

"He works with me. It would have been easy for him to frame me for this, once he got my approval on the initial trial. I told him to cancel production, but I guess he didn't. Jesus Christ, we were still going out at the time," Megumi continued, looking sick and shaking her head, while her eyes flashed with revenge.

"Well, even if you know who did it, there's no direct evidence against him," interjected Saitoh, disinterested in her romantic history. "It's your word against his, and I don't think a jury will believe you when it's your name on all the forms."

"What if I can get him to confess?" suggested Megumi.

"If we got a recording, that would work, but he would have to be an idiot," advised Saitoh.

"He might not be an idiot, but he is arrogant. He could never resist gloating, always had to have everything his own way. I bet if I spoke to him in person, I could get him to rub it in my face how well he screwed me over. It would be easy, even," said Megumi.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" asked Kaoru, concern showing plainly on her face. "I mean, he's a criminal, he could be dangerous," she said.

"Don't worry, Kaoru. Takeda might talk big, but a kitten's got more balls than he does. I'll be fine."

"Well, why don't I go with you? Just to make sure," suggested Sano. He didn't like the idea, not one bit, but he wanted the case to be wrapped up quickly, he wanted Megumi to get her life back, and this seemed like the fastest way to accomplish that.

"No, I doubt he'd admit to anything in front of a stranger, and it's me he hates, it's me he wants to prove something to. It'll be better if I go alone," Megumi argued.

"I can arrange everything you need, and make sure it finds its way into the right hands," said Saitoh. "When were you thinking of doing it?"

Megumi cast her eyes around the room, looking for any serious objections in her friends, but they all knew this was the quickest way to a solution, and none of them wanted to draw out their friend's unhappiness. Megumi looked back at Saitoh.

"It's still early. Would you be able to get it ready today?" she asked Saitoh. The police lieutenant nodded, and Sano felt the knot in his stomach twist a little tighter.

OoO

The wire was taped snugly to her back. She could feel the plastic adhesive pull at her skin when she raised her arm to knock on his door. She knocked hard, because as much as she genuinely hated him and entertained violent thoughts concerning him, she had a role to play. She had to look out of control, not like she had a van full of people who had her back waiting in the street. She had to look like she had made no plans, just dropped everything and rushed over as soon as she discovered his guilt. Then he wouldn't suspect anything, wouldn't think about the microphone currently hiding under her blouse and jacket.

So she hammered on the door she hadn't seen in months, then paced a bit for good measure. It was no struggle to look mad. She had just raised her fist to bang some more when the door was opened. Kanryuu looked at her with a smug expression, he had obviously seen it was her through the spy hole.

"Hello, Megumi. To what do I owe the pleasure?" he asked, knowing full well from her expression.

She shouldered her way past him into his apartment, then turned and began shouting at him. "What the hell, Takeda?! Do you know what you've done to me?"

Dozens of storeys below, out in the street, inside a non-descript van lined with police-issue eavesdropping equipment, five people were crammed, listening anxiously. Kenshin held Kaoru's hand as she bit her lip, their eyes trained on Sano and the policeman who held headphones pressed to their ears. Saitoh was being very professional, watching the various dials on the instruments and twiddling knobs every now and then. Sano was keeping his panic in check, staring at a rivet in the floor as his whole being strained to listen to what was coming through the headphones from Megumi's wire. Chou was folded into the front corner, his drowsy wink making him seem unaffected by the whole thing.

As soon as they heard Megumi's voice, Saitoh pressed a button and said, "She's in."

Kanryuu shut the door calmly, clearly thinking he was in control. He now stood between Megumi and the only exit. He smirked.

"Whatever do you mean, _dear_?" He spat that last word bitterly, his thin, jaundiced face drawing down in a sneer, with his true, malicious nature sparking behind his glasses.

They had decided it would be best to call him out on the embezzlement first, leaving the drugs charges till later if she needed them. She could have figured out who was stealing the money on her own, but she shouldn't even have known Faith existed.

"The money, Takeda! I know it's you whose been stealing it from the hospitals. You've ruined my life! They think I did it! Why did you do this?" Megumi cried, trying to look a little hurt and pathetic towards the end. She knew it would stroke his ego to make him think he had outwitted her, and that she was just his weak little victim.

"Why? Maybe because I didn't want to slave for a self-important heiress _bitch _my entire life!" At this point, he advanced wildly on her, making her heart jump to her throat as she backed up quickly to stay out of his reach, her knees hitting the arm of a chair and stopping her.

Down in the van, Sano flinched, and he had to force himself to stay in his seat.

"Is that enough?" he asked Saitoh.

The policeman shook his head. "More would be good," he replied.

Megumi had never known Takeda thought that of her. She knew her personality at work was maybe a little cold and distant, but it had to be to cope with the amount of work. She was a professional, she told herself, disliking the little twist in her heart that told her he was right. She had been a bitch, she'd been a bitch to Sano too, keeping him away for too long, not even telling him her name until she absolutely had to. But she liked to think she'd learned the error of her ways, just one of the good things Sano had done for her.

Kanryuu regained control, smoothing himself out after his little outburst, but Megumi now knew what lay under the surface. He _hated _her, and had done for a long time. Maybe she shouldn't have come up here alone.

Kanryuu looked at her again, and smiled. "I'm going to _be _somebody, Megumi. Not just some lackey, I'm going to be first-rate, on top. I'm going to be the one people are afraid of, the one with money and power. Pretty soon, I'm going to be the one giving orders," he said, his eyes shining, grinning at the prospect. He was leaning forward eagerly, as if waiting for her to see how wonderful it would be.

Megumi tried to hide her growing concern. She had dated the man, but she had never realised megalomania was one of his flaws. She remembered her role. She had to keep him talking so he wouldn't have time to get suspicious. Saitoh was going to come and get her once Kanryuu had incriminated himself enough.

"But why did you have to frame _me_, Takeda?" she whined.

"Now, now, don't go getting all soft on me just because things aren't going your way. You women are all the same. The truth is, you brought this on yourself. If you hadn't dumped me, and ran off with that painter, or sculptor, or whatever he is, I probably wouldn't have stuck it on you, but in the end, you were just - too - convenient! Revenge is sweet, don't you think?" he finished smugly, with an almost animal tilt of his head.

Megumi contemplated her own revenge as the sweat gathered on the wire for the mic on her back, and silently she had to agree with him. She determined to get him on the drug charges too, as the memory of all the pain he had caused her and her new friends, who never deserved it, came back to her.

"But what do you want the money for, anyway? You're hurting people," she said.

Kanryuu laughed, he actually laughed, then looked at her and said, "I think it's time I showed you something." Megumi didn't like the sound of that. He waved for her to follow him, and continued. "It's something I didn't think it was safe to show anybody, which is why you never saw it when we were dating. It's my pride and joy, my passion, my one true love…"

Megumi cast her eyes at the front door, considering making a run for it, but that would be pretty suspicious behaviour. Kanryuu would figure out immediately what she'd done, and if he didn't chase her down and drag her back to the apartment to punish or kill her, he would at the very least set about destroying evidence, maybe go on the run. He was smart enough and the crime was so well-crafted that he could escape justice, and then Megumi would never get her life back. She wouldn't be able to move forward with Sano. It had become a determination of hers in the last few days that she would repay him for all his kindness and all the good he had done her by making sure he lived the life he wanted, the life he deserved, after this was all over.

And besides, she had one hell of a mean cop listening to every word. If things took a turn for the worse, her friends would come and get her. She had a duty to see this through, and nail Takeda for as much as she could. Whatever he was going to show her sounded incriminating. So, with all this in mind, she followed him deeper into the apartment.

Meanwhile, Sano was growing more and more uneasy. This wasn't safe and he knew it. He really didn't like the sound of this guy, and it wasn't just because he was his girlfriend's ex. It was something about the way he was talking, as if he knew something no one else did. Like he knew he was one step ahead. Sano looked over at Saitoh, hoping he would say that they had enough and that they could go and get Megumi out of there, but the older man just shook his head.

Megumi had been in Kanryuu's home before, of course. She had even spent the night there, a thought that made her skin crawl, now. She thought she had seen all of it, but as Takeda led her to the small room he used as a study, she wondered what he could be showing her. She would never have thought he was capable of breaking the law back when they were dating, but now she could see that what she had always thought was just slimy cowardice and pettiness, actually ran a lot deeper and was full-blown evil. She wasn't sure she wanted to see what he had to show her.

Inside the study, Kanryuu went to a bookcase. He stood facing its side and placed his hands on it as if he was going to move it. First, however, he gave a dramatic pause.

"Ready?" he asked, excited. Megumi swallowed and nodded, bracing herself.

Kanryuu swung the bookcase out. It moved so easily and so smoothly that she knew it had to be on wheels, but you couldn't tell to look at it. They must have been set into the wood, because the bookcase didn't seem to be off the ground at all. Kanryuu had hid his surprise well.

As the case swung out into the room, it revealed an alcove in the wall behind it. A small room absolutely filled with _guns_. Kanryuu turned on a little light to illuminate the space and gazed into it lovingly. Shelves on the left and right carried various handguns, machine guns, shot guns and rifles. She couldn't even count all the different makes and models, and he had some in duplicate. On the far wall, seemingly in a place of honour, a select few were hung on bracket under a separate light. And right in the middle, unmissable, sitting, squat, like a vicious attack dog bred for its size, was a huge Gatling gun.

Kanryuu virtually skipped inside. "They're beautiful, aren't they?" he said. Megumi couldn't find the words.

"It's quite a… collection," she said eventually.

Sano's ears strained for any clue of what it was that Megumi was seeing, wanting to yell at the woman for not being more specific when she knew people were listening. He glanced at Saitoh again, deferring to the leader of the situation, and noticed that he too was frowning and had started fiddling with the controls. This was bad.

"This one is, I don't think I have to tell you, my favourite." Kanryuu crouched down beside the Gatling gun, putting his arm over it as if asking Megumi to accept them as a couple. "It's an antique, one of the first ever made. It marked the beginning of a new age. While everyone else was still swinging swords like children, whoever had this was untouchable. It means a lot to me," he said.

He looked at her and stood up, and she realised her face was giving her away. She was too shocked to look petulant or angry or impressed. She just looked scared, and vaguely disgusted.

"Once I've amassed enough capital, I'm going to enter the arms market. Because after all, who has more power than the one everyone else buys their power from? Then I'll be able to spread my babies all over this country, maybe even further. Isn't that a good idea?"

She snatched her eyes away from the guns to meet his stare. He wasn't looking amused, he looked harsh, angry. His façade had fallen off as well.

"Why are you showing me this?" she said in a small voice.

At street level, Sano leant forward.

Kanryuu watched his fingers as he laid them tenderly on the hulking weapon. "I wanted to give you one last pleasure, for old time's sake. I didn't think it would do any harm. After all…" He looked up her suddenly, whisking his fingers off the cold metal next to him, and reaching instead for one of the guns on the shelf. Its barrel looked too long, and then she realised it had a silencer already on it. "It's not like I'm going to let you leave here alive."

Sano was on his feet, running for the building as his headphones clattered to the floor of the van. Saitoh cursed him for his haste and tore after him. The three people left behind looked at each other, then moved simultaneously to follow, leaving the van doors open behind them as they feared what the others had heard.


	20. Stung

Chapter 20

In the lobby, Sano desperately pounded the "up" button for the elevator. Normally, he would have cleared three floors by now, taking the stairs, but Kanryuu' apartment was on the 22nd floor. There was just no way. So he had to wait for the damned elevator. Everyone else came running up after him just as the metal doors pinged open lazily. They all piled in, Sano going in last so he would be the first out.

Megumi stayed rooted to the spot for an instant that felt like minutes. Part of her was telling her to not to run. After all, this was Takeda! He didn't have the stones to shoot her right there. She was looking right at him, not saying anything, not moving. Nobody shot someone just like that, there was always a moment, something that happened that provided the dramatic moment when it was suitable to shoot someone. As long as she preserved the moment, and didn't provide that singular "now!" opportunity, she would be alright. Sano would have heard what he said, and they were hopefully racing up here right now to save her. All she had to do was keep Kanryuu from having an excuse.

She watched him raise the gun, and then she couldn't help it. She dove out of the door way, flinching painfully at the very real sound of a gun discharging, and some books opposite her gave little puffs of shredded paper through the new holes in their spines.

Megumi had never heard a gunshot in real life before, and the movies just didn't do it justice. These were muffled by the silencer, and came out more as a high-pitched cough than a loud bang, but they still terrified her. She could hear them all too well.

She couldn't even run properly, there were too many corners, too many obstacles. It was like one of those nightmares where you look behind you and the guy chasing you is always the same distance away no matter how hard you try to run faster, except in this case she daren't look behind her. She knew it would only slow her down, and probably make her run into something, and she couldn't afford that.

She bolted out of the study, down the corridor, watching as the doorjamb in front of her was bitten by a bullet, warning her that Kanryuu was close behind. She just tucked her head down and ran.

The whole time, she was bitterly regretting coming. She cursed herself for being too overconfident, and her heart sickened as she thought about what would happen if Kanryuu got her. Hopefully, her lawyers would use their common sense and carry out her last orders, giving whatever remained of her estate to Sano. Hopefully that would be enough to get him out of his life of prostitution.

She grabbed hold of the doorway as she passed it in order to turn the corner quickly and get out of Kanryuu's line of sight. This gave her a few more seconds to get some furniture between them. She knew her best chance to survive this was to keep dodging until he ran out of ammo. The problem was, Megumi knew next to nothing about guns, and had no idea how many bullets that gun could hold. So she just had to keep dodging.

Megumi went to the gym with Kaoru every once in a while, and now she was grateful for it. She was running, vaulting chairs and sliding across tables Dukes of Hazard style. She didn't bother looking for a weapon, because as long as he had a gun, she wouldn't be able to get close enough to defeat him with a candle stick.

But now she was running out of options. He knew the space much better than her. Even if she kept running, he would be able to stay still and take careful aim and get her, unless she ran back down the corridor she had just come from and corner herself. She supposed she could try getting back to the gun room and take one for herself, but could she do it? Could she shoot someone, even in self-defence? And what if it wasn't loaded? She would be completely at his mercy.

She felt hopeless as she slowed briefly to consider where to go next, and a bullet blew through her long hair. She gasped and ducked, tripping, ending up on all fours on the floor. Just as she was picking herself up, Kanryuu tackled her from behind. She was shocked into screaming as he made contact and she truly believed she was going to die. He grappled with her as she fought him with everything she had, turning onto her back in the process. She clawed and kicked and bit and elbowed, using her entire body to ensure a constant barrage of blows, not all of them connecting and hardly any of them doing any harm. She was trying to keep him distracted and defending himself with his hands so that he couldn't aim his gun at her, but she couldn't keep it up forever. Sitting atop her, he had the advantage.

Finally, he grew tired of it, and his wits gathered enough for him to act on more than just instinct. Megumi saw it in his eyes, and instinctively threw her arms across her face, turning it away. She wondered deliriously if she would feel the bullet if he shot her in the head.

What happened next, happened very quickly.

The door slammed open, splintering at the lock. It had only taken one heavy charge from Sano, who was used to opening his own door at the Crapshack that way. But he was acting mainly on adrenaline, he hadn't thought about it as he'd taken out the door. Immediately, his eyes found them on the floor in front of him, a thin, wild looking man with a gun straddling a roughed-up Megumi, who was protecting her head pathetically. Her face was turned towards him, and she had opened her eyes at his entrance, staring at him with wide eyes and open mouth. He was clearly not a moment too soon.

At the same time, Saitoh saw Kanryuu's gun and drew his own.

Before he could fire, however, Sano was across the room. He seized the front of Kanryuu's shirt and hauled him up off Megumi. At his side, the man fired three shots, a combination of surprise and a desperate last ditch effort to have his revenge on the woman cowering on the floor. Megumi screamed, her whole body tensing up into a ball on her side now that Kanryuu's weight was off her. Sano punched him in the head, hard and with feeling. Then he did it again, and again. It wasn't enough to satisfy him, but he let the insect drop, knocked out, his glasses askew.

Megumi waited to feel the pain, but she didn't. She cracked her eyes open to make sure time hadn't stopped in preparation for her to enter the afterlife, but it hadn't. Strong hands grabbed her roughly, and she flinched, but then Sano's brown eyes were looking at her, creased with residual anger at Kanryuu, but warm with concern for her. She felt as if the sight of them was heating her from the inside, like hot chocolate when you've just come in from the cold.

Kaoru and Kenshin appeared hurriedly on either side of him, both of them half-crazy with worry for her. She glanced at them, unable to take anything in.

"Megumi?!" Kaoru cried.

"Are you alright, Kitsune?!" demanded Sano, looking down at her.

She couldn't find words, she couldn't make noise, her eyes just flitted between them all, unable to make sense of anything. Her brain was mush, she felt like an infant.

"Kitsune!" Sano shook her lightly, and when her head lolled back, she brought it up under her strength.

"Mm, mmhmm!" was shaken out of her, and she followed it up with determined nodding.

"Thank God," murmured Sano to himself, and folded her into a tight hug, close against his chest. Under normal circumstances, Kaoru and Kenshin would have left the lovers to themselves, but they had to feel that she was alright for themselves. They couldn't hold back at a time like this, and it turned into a strong group hug.

Sense was returning to Megumi, though she felt hysterical. All shaken up and weak, like the scales governing her emotions were experiencing an earthquake. She knew enough to suspect she had shock. Was that it, then? Was she safe? Was she rescued? Kanryuu lay limp behind her, and she was currently being smothered by her friends and her love. It looked like she was alright, like she was saved. It was over now, and with that realisation, she shut her eyes tight and her shoulders shook with heavy, dry sobs. She buried her face into Sano's chest and their warmth enveloped her like a shield. Kaoru rubbed her back and Sano nuzzled the top of her head, rocking her slightly and shushing her.

Saitoh relaxed and holstered his gun, replacing it in his hand with a pair of handcuffs, and he crossed to room to restrain Kanryuu before he woke up, which looked like it wouldn't be for a while.

Meanwhile, Chou stayed standing by the open doorway. On his left, a little above his knee, was a bullet hole. The other one was on his right, close to his shoulder. The third hadn't made it to the wall, embedding itself in him instead. A small sound bubbled up from him and he swayed on the spot.

Megumi's sobs lessened, and the others loosened their hold, giving her space to breathe. Her arms were locked behind Sano's back, though, and she didn't seem prepared to let him go anytime soon. After a long moment, she felt collected enough to speak.

"Did we get him?" she said weakly, keeping her face hidden.

"Yeah, we got him," Sano answered in a soft, reassuring voice, running his hand down her back.

"He's going to jail?" she continued.

"Rest assured, he is. I will make sure of it myself," answered Saitoh, standing up from where he had been crouching by Kanryuu's unconscious body.

The knot of friends blocked his view of the door, or he would have seen how Chou slumped against the wall, slowly sliding down it till he sat on the floor, hunched over. He had a confused, dazed expression on his face as he touched his fingertips to a patch of red that was spreading amongst the purple and magenta of his clothes. He noted that the red transferred onto his gloves.

"Lover," he called to Saitoh as loudly as he could, which wasn't very loudly at all, barely even a mumble. "Ah'm bleed'n'."

Megumi was starting to feel strong enough to stand on her own, so she slowly pulled away from Sano, keeping him close, however. Before she looked up properly though, so that they could see her face, she wiped under her eyes with her fingertips. Sano gave a small smile when he saw her do it, because if she was aware of her appearance, that had to mean she wasn't too badly damaged. When she did look at them all properly, she tried to smile reassuringly. Her face was pale as a corpse, and her make up was smudged in faint black lines about her eyes, but none of them cared about that. She was beginning to get herself back to herself.

She turned to Saitoh behind her. "He has a room full of guns, in the study down that corridor," she said, feeling good for telling. Takeda didn't deserve even passive loyalty from her.

Saitoh nodded, but stayed where he was. "I'll inform the team. Right now, I think I'd better deal with the nosy neighbours. They'll have heard the door being broken down even if they didn't hear anything else," he said, a shadow of his habitual smirk maturing on his lips.

He stepped out from behind the group and his face collapsed, the colour flushing out of it and a nauseous curl turning his mouth down at the corners. Confused, the others turned. Kaoru gasped, Megumi swayed, and Sano stiffened.

Chou wasn't moving. His hands were down at his sides as he slumped on the floor and his head hung down on his chest in a way that would have been uncomfortable if he'd been in any state to feel it. From a point in the centre of his torso, just where chest becomes stomach, a dot of black marked the tip of a red pyramid that spread downwards over him.

Saitoh took the first stumbling step forward, then they were all suddenly there. The Lieutenant and Sano knelt beside him while the others stood over them, look on in commiseration, unsure what to do with themselves.

"Chou? Come on, Broomhead…" called Sano in despair, afraid to touch his friend.

Saitoh quickly laid Chou down, placing his uniform jacket under his crazy blonde hair for a pillow. The prostitute had scary dark purple circles around his eyes. "Sawagejou?" he said, a note of desperation slipping through his control. "Chou?!" he called, using his lover's first name as he became less and less concerned with appearances. He opened the young man's shirt, peeling the bloody fabric away from his whitening skin. His stomach was painted read, and the bullet hole continued to gurgle up blood before their eyes. It pooled, then ran sideways onto the floor, ruining the pyramid pattern. Saitoh held his hands over Chou helplessly.

"Oh, man…" Sano turned his face away as tears came to his eyes. He thought his friend was dead already. This wasn't supposed to be happening. No one was supposed to get hurt…

"Don't say it, Sagara, don't say a damn thing…" Saitoh snarled.

That was when Megumi fell gracelessly to her knees between them. The two men looked at her as she intruded, but her eyes were focused on Chou. She took off her jacket, balled it up, then pressed it to the wound, rising onto her knees to put a lot of weight on it. She'd moved as if in a daze, but now she turned her face to look at Saitoh.

"Call an ambulance," she said, zombie-like. She turned back to look at her hands. "Don't give up if you love him," she said quietly, as if it was more to herself than anyone else.

Saitoh looked affronted, and opened his mouth like he was about to contest that he was in love with the broom-headed idiot, but then he shut it again and, nodding, went for the phone. In the silence that followed among them, they could hear Saitoh growling to the emergency services operator, using every bit of influence he had as a Police Lieutenant to make sure the ambulance was there _now_ to take his lover to the best, closest hospital in the city.

Sano looked over at Megumi. She was obviously still suffering from her own life-threatening experience that she had only just escaped minutes ago, but here she was, saving the life of possibly his oldest friend. It was probably an insensitive moment to think it, as Chou lay dying right in front of him, but if it was possible, he thought he might love her even more now than before, and that he would be grateful every day that he had arrived in time to stop Kanryuu from taking her away from him. Besides, with Megumi there, Sano just didn't believe Chou wouldn't make it.

**Author's Note:** How do you like that, huh? I was debating with myself who would get shot at first, any of them would have been good, but in the end, my own love for Chou won out. I just _had _to give him the glory moment at the end (sort of). And, according to my calculations, the next chapter will be The Last One, so brace yourselves. Hope you enjoyed this, I tried to make poor Chou as pathetic as possible, with no one noticing him, and I think I did pretty well. I'm proud of this chapter (and the last one, as I said). But I didn't get as many reviews as I normally do… I also tried to make it clear that Saitoh loves him, but make him try to keep it to himself and not be out of character. Hope I pulled it off.


	21. Epilogue

Chapter 21

Kaoru's shoes scraped as she walked slowly across the property floor. It was a big empty space, like a warehouse, just what she was looking for. The electrics looked questionable, but the room was lit by light coming in through high, dirty windows for the time being. It was a fixer-upper, but that was fine. That just meant she could get it exactly the way she wanted it.

"There are smaller rooms in the back, and upstairs," said the real-estate agent hopefully.

Kaoru nodded and looked over her shoulder. "Kenshin, what do you think?"

The redhead was hanging back, obviously feeling out of place, but Kaoru wanted him to be a part of this.

"It looks good to me," he said.

After everything that had happened with Kanryuu, it had taken Kaoru this long to prepare herself for what she was hoping to do. Her relationship with Enishi was over, which meant that for the first time in her life, she was free to be her own person, to do what _she _wanted and nothing else. She had been very close to her father, a General, but he had been stern, and had had very precise ideas of who he wanted his daughter to be. It was after he died that she met Enishi.

Now, however, she suddenly found herself in control of her own destiny. True, Enishi hadn't wanted to let his cash-cow go without a fight, and had attempted to sue her a couple of weeks after they broke up. He claimed that he deserved a portion of her estate, since he had technically been supporting her for two of the three years they had been together, but Megumi had her money back by that point and had unleashed the full hell of her much bigger and better lawyers on him. Kaoru hadn't heard from him since.

So now that she was free, she'd decided that what she really wanted to do, was to go back to work. Or rather, she wanted to open her own dojo. She'd taught martial arts and self-defence classes before, and she couldn't think of anything else she'd rather be doing with her life, so after organising her funds, she'd started looking at properties.

Something else she'd done in the meantime, was ask Kenshin if he wanted to be her partner in the enterprise. His kenjutsu background would come in handy, and even if he did have physical limitations because of his leg, he could still teach the basics, and she would need help with administration. Opening her own dojo was too big of a task to embark on by herself, and she wanted to maintain her friendship with the man. That, and she couldn't leave him as a stripper when she had this perfect opportunity for him.

Needless to say, Kenshin had been shocked when she had first mentioned her proposal. He had protested modestly, arguing that he wouldn't be much use with his leg, and that he really didn't know anything about running a dojo, but Kaoru wasn't hearing it. So while she spent her trust fund on turning empty inner city lots into her dream, he tried to wrap his head around actually having a respectable profession.

For a few weeks, there had been the unspoken question growing between them, now that Kaoru was single, of where they stood. They cared for each other, and were undeniably attracted to each other, but Kaoru knew that she shouldn't start a relationship with him. Not yet, anyway. She'd never been without a man in her life, and she wanted to take this opportunity to grow as a person, to find herself. She'd just got out of an abusive long-term relationship. The last thing she wanted to do was replace Enishi. That wasn't to say that she didn't think Kenshin would treat her better, but just that she wasn't ready to be thinking about another person just yet. She needed to make herself her priority.

She had subtly communicated this to Kenshin, and he seemed to have accepted it with the same good nature he brought to everything else. For the time being, they would remain friends and business partners. But maybe some time in the future, that would change. She knew she would look to him before she considered anyone else as a boyfriend when she felt ready.

"You can't buy this place!" called a voice loudly, echoing in the large empty room. Kaoru and Kenshin turned to the front door in surprise, and she heard the estate agent sigh in frustration. Standing in the doorway was a prepubescent boy, with a furious, and somewhat desperate, look on his face. He was silhouetted against the outside world, having flung the door open wide, and he looked ready for a fight. His clothes were more than a little scruffy, he looked dirty and messy, but his hands were balled into fists at his side and his eyes were fierce.

"Yahiko…" The estate agent sighed again, kinder this time. "We've been over this…"

"I don't care what the lawyers say, this place is mine!" the kid cried.

The estate agent saw Kaoru looking startled and turned to her to explain. "Yahiko's father was the previous owner of this building, but it was seized to pay debts after he died."

It was said with a note of sympathy with impatience behind it. It seemed this was not the first time he had interrupted and soured the deal. Kaoru instantly felt bad for the kid though, and having already pretty much decided to buy the property, she approached him and said,

"If it's yours, then why don't I rent it off you, hmm?" As she spoke, she put her hands on her knees to bring herself closer to his level. She was thinking about something along the lines of giving the kid a few token payments, which he could then deposit somewhere where they would end up back in her pocket. They could tell him he was repaying his dad's debt.

The boy looked her up and down, askance. "Just because you're stupid doesn't mean we both are," he replied rudely, having seen through her patronising little plan.

Kaoru's face crumpled into an expression of outrage. "What did you just say to me, you little pipsqueak?!" she cried before she could stop herself. Never again would she tolerate a man insulting her.

"You heard me, Ugly!" he shouted back

"Yahiko!" cried the estate agent, appalled. "I'm so sorry, Miss Kamiya, he hasn't learned how to talk to _adults _yet," she bit out, giving Yahiko a pointed "Shut up" look.

They both ignored her. "Oh yeah, short-stuff? Well, how about this? I'm buying this place, and if you want it back, you're going to have to fight me for it," Kaoru challenged, looking smug.

"Pfft, fine, and I won't even have to go easy on you 'cause you're not that much of a girl," answered the boy, raising his fists awkwardly. It was clear that he did have second thoughts about getting into a physical fight with an adult woman though.

"Miss Kamiya, you really don't have to-"

"Bring it on, Pintsized."

OoO

Sano pushed back the soft sheets and slid out of the plush bed. Before he could get away, however, feminine arms wrapped around his waist, and he huffed indulgently as he was pulled back to sit on the edge of the bed. He felt his lover draw up behind him.

"Megumi…" he chastised light-heartedly as her lips brushed the nape of his neck, sending shivers over his skin.

"Mnnn?" she murmured coquettishly and he nearly lost his resolve, feeling her arms tighten and her fingers trace his sides.

"You know we told Chou we'd be there today," he reminded her, looking over his shoulder. Her face was very close, one side hidden out of his range of vision. She was wearing that same small smile she always did when she was getting ideas about him.

The minx just purred again and kissed the join of his neck and shoulder, smiling all the more. "We have time…" she coaxed.

Sano glanced at the clock, "Not really," he replied. It's not like he'd be arguing with her if they did. He caught her eye and held her gaze until she submitted.

Groaning, she removed her arms from his waist, making sure to stroke over his skin the whole way. "Fine," she grumped, pouting. "But you owe me."

Sano laughed as he stood up. "I think I paid you back last night," he said suggestively, looking at her with an eyebrow raised.

The memory of what he had done for her last night made her toes curl, so Megumi let him off on that one. She looked away, biting her smiling lips, almost blushing, and she heard his masculine, self-satisfied chuckle as he walked off to the bathroom.

As he showered, Sano couldn't help but shake his head in disbelief. What a Cinderella story. He'd come from poverty, misery and prostitution, to _this_. It had been just over a month since they'd taken Kanryuu down, and now he was living happily with Megumi, back in her old apartment, where the carpet was more comfortable than what he was used to sleeping on. It hadn't taken long for the police to drop all the charges against her, and for her accounts to be unfrozen and now he had more than he'd ever thought to dream about.

Her apartment was luxurious, he ate better than he was used to eating in restaurants everyday, he dressed in real quality… He even had _accessories_, Megumi having bought him a gold Rolex for his twenty-third birthday. Not to mention he got to wake up with a beautiful woman every morning, and the only thing she ever seemed to want from him was something he would have wanted to be doing anyway. To call it work would be blasphemy, being with Megumi was just _easy_. He loved it, and he loved her, and he was living in Heaven, and he didn't even have that horrible feeling that it was all going to prove to be a joke. He felt _safe _in his new life.

The door to the bathroom opened, and Sano looked over to see Megumi putting the lid down on the toilet for her to sit on and watch him. He just grinned and shook his head again. He knew he had a good body, he wasn't embarrassed when this woman had been all over him with every part of her. Neither of them said anything, they didn't have to. Watching him through the steamy glass door of the shower wasn't quite routine, but it was something Megumi did often enough for him to be used to it. And he didn't begrudge her anything, not when she'd made his life so sweet, and he hadn't had time to attend to her properly.

He was still quick in the shower though, since he'd never been able to be lax with warm water before, and as he slid the door open, Megumi reached out between them and snatched the towel off the rack. It was childish, and she knew it, smirking at him as she gripped it tightly in her lap. Sano cocked his head and held out his hand for it. Megumi just smiled wider.

Honestly, he barely felt the age difference.

Sano approached her, his body dripping, his hair wet and messy. He knew just how to get her to give up the towel. Tipping her head back, he gave her one of those kisses that he knew just killed her, and just as he predicted, she moaned and one hand floated up to rest on his abs. He lowered one of his own onto the towel. He felt her let go with her other hand, but he was enjoying himself a bit too much. Only when he felt her comparatively cool fingers brush his manhood did he react. He hadn't expected her to go for such a direct approach, though knowing her, he should have. As soon as he felt it, his body electrified, and he knew they were dangerously close to being late after all, so he snatched the towel between them like a magician revealing what he's just made disappear, wrapping it around his hips.

"Yoink!" he called smugly, marching out of the bathroom, glimpsing her dumbfounded expression in his peripheral vision as he went. He heard her huffing and choking as she tried to think of something to say to him through her disappointment.

Taking pity on her, since he was the victor and could afford to, he stuck his head back in. "It was close though," he said, and vanished again.

From the bedroom, he heard her call him a tease and various other curses as he dried himself off and got dressed, his spirit light, as it usually was those days.

OoO

Kaoru won hands down. Her lifetime of martial arts training meant that the poor kid didn't land one hit, and all she had to do was wait for an opening in his weak defences then give him a single solid push to stick him on his ass. To his credit, it took a while for him to give up. He kept coming back for more for at least ten minutes, only to end up planted on the floor again. So while he fumed and got his breath back, Kaoru finalised the transaction, much to the estate agent's surprise and relief.

"I'll get you back for this, Ugly," panted Yahiko. "I'll beat you one day,"

Kaoru snorted. "Maybe, when I'm old and grey, but by that point I'll have retired and might as well just _give _it to you," she replied. "In the meantime, how would you like me to teach you how to fight _properly_? I'm turning this place into a dojo, you know."

Yahiko gave her a dirty look but he didn't say no.

"Good. If you keep coming 'round every once in a while, I'll enrol you in classes once I get set up," she said, then she smiled genuinely. Her first student.

Kenshin came up behind her. "We should leave soon if we want to make it to the hospital on time," he said.

OoO

By the time they pulled up to the hospital, Megumi had forgiven him, of course. The elevator doors pinged and they chatted as they made their way to Chou's room, not even having to look up to find it, having been there many times in the past. The door was open and they walked straight in, knowing they were expected. Kaoru and Kenshin were already there, standing by the window, talking to Chou. After he was shot right in front of them, they all felt a need to check up on him, and the regular visits meant that they had all become friends, though Chou was still closest to Sano. His new life with Megumi hadn't got in the way of that, since Chou had been staying in hospital until then, and it didn't seem likely that Saitoh was about to let him go back to the streets.

"Alright, Mop-head?" Sano saluted jovially.

"Fuck off, Rooster," came the surly reply. After being shot, Chou had had to have all kinds of surgeries on his abdomen, which meant it hurt too much to get his arms over his head to do his hair, so it now hung long and straight to tickle his shoulders, hence the new nickname.

However, he was being discharged today, and everyone had come to help out and see him off. He looked better than he had in a while, with colour in his face. He was animated again. Though he didn't seem happy to be being released. He had been in a bad mood ever since he was shot, understandably. Chou was never one who could stand being cooped up, so he didn't enjoy being bedridden in hospital with nothing to do. He'd lost a lot of weight on a month's worth of hospital food and zero exercise. He hadn't even had it in him to enjoy the cute male nurse who kept offering to give him a sponge bath.

He was pretty miserable. He didn't enjoy being hurt, and they could tell that deep down, getting shot had unsettled him. But much more important than that, the main problem was by far his vanity. All the surgery had left plenty of deep scars on his torso, which he bitched about as being "career-ending." Today he was wearing a plain black t-shirt and pale blue jeans. Gone were the psychedelic clown-clothes he normally wore. His usual magenta and purple affair had been cut off by the doctors when he first came in, but they had been too soaked in blood to have been redeemable anyway. As self-conscious as he was about his scars, he wouldn't be wearing any more of those open shirts anyway.

Sano would sometimes catch his friend running his fingers over the incisions through his shirt, and had attempted to make him feel better by telling him they would make him look rugged and mysterious, and even jokingly flirting a little with him. Sano was surprised that Chou cared so much about them when he'd never cared about his un-opening eye, but Chou said the difference was that the eye just looked like a wink, lazy and inviting, whereas the scar made him look like he'd grown up on Elm Street.

Another thing that had ensured Chou's bad mood was that he'd been unable to "entertain" the "affections" of any men since he'd been shot. For Chou, this was almost a fate worse than death. For the first few weeks, he'd been in too much pain, but after that he decided he could handle the agony in his gut to alleviate his nymphomania. While he could probably have solicited some favours from the eager nurse, for the first time in his life, Chou was only interested in one man, which led to some interesting and dangerous situations whenever Saitoh came to visit. The police officer had refused, at first, but no one was impervious to Chou's seduction. The gang were sketchy on the details, they didn't know exactly _what _the doctors had walked in on, but they did know that they had attempted to ban Saitoh from visiting, which sent Chou into a sexually-frustrated fury. Threats had been made, a scene had been caused, and the doctors backed off. Chou didn't get what he wanted, and Saitoh visited less, but the blonde had been able to heal unmolested, much to his dismay.

But despite the scowl that had become engraved on his face, Chou looked good. He sat up and moved to the edge of the bed, strapping on his watch and stuffing his phone in his pocket in preparation of leaving. The small amount of belongings he had in the room were already packed into a blue shoulder bag that Kenshin currently had in his hand. There was no way Chou could carry it himself, since he was still working on walking upright.

"Let's get this over with," he groused, pushing himself off the bed with his hands to avoid using any muscles in his sore stomach.

"Mr Sawagejou!" sang a cheery voice from the door as a smiley woman in nurse's scrubs pushed a wheelchair into the room. Chou gave it the evil eye. "It's tradition," she cajoled.

Chou groaned but sat in the wheelchair anyway. "Roosterhead! Push me!" he ordered imperially, snapping his fingers and pointing forwards.

"Yes, your Majesty," replied Sano, moving forward to wheel Chou down the corridor to the elevator.

As soon as they turned a corner, Chou said, "Is she gone?"

Sano looked behind them. The nurse had stayed by the room and was out of sight. "Yeah," he said.

"Good. Stop this thing, I'm getting off." Sano stopped the wheelchair and Chou unfolded his long, lanky frame from it. "You can just leave it there. Some kids can have fun with it," he said, waving his hand at the chair contemptuously.

When they reached the lobby, they could see Saitoh leaning against his car outside, smoking. Only then did it occur to Sano that Chou must be going home with him, and that it kind of went without saying. He looked across at his friend and noticed as the scowl that had been etched onto his face for the past five weeks flickered away like a passing shadow, and something more like the Chou he knew replaced it.

The blonde let out a shaky breath and ran his hand through his long hair in a hunched movement, making Sano notice for the first time how soft it looked. Dressed as inconspicuously as he was, he was handsome in an entirely different way from the sex appeal he oozed to attract clients.

Was Chou nervous? No, never, he had always been the self-confident incubus, but now he was definitely looking a little more unsure of himself.

"You look great," Sano found himself saying, trying to reassure his friend.

Chou glanced at him, unaware that he had been so obvious. He forced a brief smile. "He's just so cool, you know?" he said quietly. "I know he doesn't want me, but… I've never been in love before."

Sano understood what the other man was getting at. Chou had had to fight so hard to turn Saitoh to his way of life, that he felt that he had tricked him somehow, forced it, and that Saitoh was with him because of his manipulation, not because of any affection on the officer's part. However, Sano knew that Saitoh was way too much of a hard ass to do half the stuff he did for Chou for someone he didn't cherish.

"I think he wants you," he told Chou.

"Yeah?" The poor blonde still looked unsure. It seemed that without his trademark hairstyle and colourful clothes, Chou just couldn't feel confident while looking like a normal person.

"Yeah," Sano replied.

The automatic doors slid open and the group descended on Saitoh. Out of all of them, only Chou moved around to stand beside the cop, and Sano felt that he didn't really have to worry about the two of them anymore. No greetings were exchanged, Chou knew he couldn't do anything as blatant as kiss his lover in as public a place as a hospital car park, and none of the others really felt comfortable around the intimidating Wolf. However, the blonde's eye was caught by Saitoh's cigarette, and he helped himself to it, pilfering it from between gloved fingers before taking a long drag, helping himself to an indirect kiss at the same time. Saitoh narrowed his eyes at having his cigarette stolen, but he allowed it.

Sano knew Chou wasn't a smoker, but he didn't say anything. It seemed like the sort of thing his friend would do to lift the finger to the hospital that had imprisoned him for the past month. What only Chou knew, and Saitoh suspected, was that the real reason was that, to him, cigarettes tasted like Saitoh, something he'd been missing for too long.

They made some stilted goodbyes, wishing Chou good luck and a speedy recovery, Saitoh relieving Kenshin of the bag of Chou's belongings and throwing it into the car, until eventually the couple climbed in and drove away into the sunset together.

Left alone now, the gang turned to each other. Megumi checked her watch.

"Want to get some lunch?" she said.

"Yeah, sure, I have time for lunch," answered Kaoru, falling into step beside her friend. Sano aligned himself with Kenshin behind them. Living with Megumi, he felt as if he hadn't seen the redhead in too long, and they had some catching up to do.

**Author's Note:** Oooooo-kay! Let's see what we have here! As far as last chapters go, this one could have been better, but I managed to fit in all the elements I wanted. I hope you all found it to your liking! All that with Kenshin and Kaoru, yeah, we don't see them get together in this, just because I thought it would be a step backwards for Kaoru if she just swapped one man for another. Not that Kenshin isn't better than Enishi, just that Kaoru needs to learn to live by herself for a bit. So she's going to open a dojo! Just like in the show! Only she'll have students (hopefully)! And I got Yahiko in after all, and we also see the emergence of the bokken-waving, shrieking Kaoru we get in the show. She's not going to be walked over anymore, so unfortunately she might have taken it a bit far in the other direction.

As for Sano and Megumi, he's finally got his dream! I know it's not very forward-thinking to portray him as some sort of kept-man or toyboy, but who knows, maybe he'll get a job eventually, find something he actually likes doing. Or get his high-school diploma. The world is his oyster. And Megumi's happy. She'd never begrudge him a cent. So a happy ending there then.

And then Chou and Saitoh. Poor Chou. He ends up looking like a normal person, sniff, only with some nice ugly scars thrown in to make him self-conscious. But his man stands by him. Saitoh whisks him off, possibly glad that his boyfriend doesn't look like a circus performer anymore. And if he didn't mind the droopy eye, and went gay for Chou, maybe he won't mind the scars either. I've really fallen in love with those two, and there really isn't anything on for them (except for a one-shot called _Gloves_ that I found years ago, it's very cute.) So I might write their story, a sort of Size Matters 2, only running parallel to what happens in this one, rather than what happens next. I've got some good love scenes, just not an overlying plot, like Kanryuu was in this one.

Anyway, long story short, phew, I was really surprised at how many of you really seemed to love this story. That kind of thing always makes me happy. Some of you have really made me smile. Thank you so much for following the story, putting up with my long, unexplained absences. But all good things must come to an end. I never intended this story to be this long. And who knows, maybe some future story will catch your eye and it will be me again. See you there.


End file.
